Reforge
by lazerbear7
Summary: After losing her arm in the tournament disaster, Ruby thought her dreams of becoming a huntress were shattered. What she finds is a way to make herself even stronger.
1. Chapter 1

Ruby's eyes drifted open slowly, and she started to take in her surroundings. She was still in the sterile hospital room, lying down on the soft hospital bed. The world around her was bleary; sights melded into messes of color and shape, and noises blurred into a dull hum.

The sounds of the television helped wake her up, and after a few seconds of staring blankly ahead, she remembered what had happened.

She groaned as she pushed herself up, feeling the needle in her right hand. She was thankful for the medicine, of course, but she hated needles.

Something else moved in the room, and Ruby turned her head groggily to face the source of the sound. Before she knew what was happening, her vision was filled with a wild mane of yellow hair, followed by two strong arms wrapping around her neck, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Hey! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

Ruby blinked a few times before realizing what was going on.

"Oh, hey Yang. When did you get here?"

Her sister leaned back, smiling, "Oh, you know, last night. You were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you up. Weiss and Blake came by too, but I told them to go and get breakfast. They'll be back after they finish, so no need to worry about that. And hey, you get to go back today! That's got to do something for you, right?"

Despite her sister's wide smile, Ruby saw her eyes flick to her side. It was only for a second, but Ruby immediately felt her heart sink. She turned her head to the side, and looked down at the stump of a cast that had replaced her left arm. It was barely more than six inches long, and still ached deeply where the surgeons had to cut the bone.

She still couldn't believe what had happened, it was all so fast. After the tournament arena had been overrun by Grimm, Ruby had been cut off from her teammates. She had tried to escape into the underworks, the supply closets and storage rooms, but she had been a wreck. Seeing what happened to Penny…

Her breath caught in her throat, and she tried to think about something else.

She must have stood out like a neon sign to the Grimm, as her hiding spot only worked for about a minute. After that, an Ursa had clawed through the thin door, and began mauling her. She'd done her best to fight, but without Crescent Rose, there was nothing she could do to fight back. Even the strongest aura could only protect a Huntress for so long. By the time the others had reached her, most of her arm had been ripped from the rest of her body.

It was strange, Ruby didn't remember when her arm had actually come off. She could only remember the Grimm's jaws closing around her elbow, cracking the bone and shaking her around like a ragdoll. The doctors said she had probably been in shock. Thinking about it made her stump hurt, so she looked back to Yang.

"At least I don't have to worry about that new grip for Crescent Rose, right?"

She had meant it as a joke, but there was an ugly truth underneath. She couldn't be a Huntress now. Not with one arm, and especially not using a scythe. what was she going to do now? Her whole life had been dedicated to becoming a Huntress. Now she had nothing.

Tears started to well in her eyes, but before they could fall down her cheek, Yang leaned forward, hugging her tightly.

"Ruby, don't even think like that. You're still alive, so you've still got a chance. You're the strongest, smartest, most determined person at Beacon, maybe even in the world. Nothing is going to stop you. And besides, if you need help, I'll be right there for you. We all will be."

Ruby started to shake as sobs racked her body, burying her face in Yang's shoulder and pulling her closer with her right arm.

Why? Why had it have to have been her? She wouldn't wish it on anyone else, but why did it have to happen at all? People kept saying that she should be thinking of herself as lucky. People died at that tournament before the Grimm were all exterminated. They'd died, and Ruby couldn't save them, like she was supposed to. Maybe she wasn't good enough to be a Huntress anyways. Maybe this was for the best.

It felt like hours that the pair held each other, neither one knowing what to do. Even Yang started to shake the longer she held Ruby, as memories of their childhood flashed through her mind. The energetic, loving, and innocent little girl Ruby had always been seemed to be threatened now, the Ruby she held wasn't the Ruby she'd known all these years. Nothing had ever gotten her down like this before. She didn't know what to say, or how to help her. The Grimm had been pounded into dust, she'd made sure of it, but what else could she do?

After what felt like an eternity, the door behind Yang opened, and there was a small knock on the frame. The sisters disentangled themselves, looking to see who it was that had come.

"General Ironwood?" The confusion in Yang's voice was clear over the scraping of her chair as she stood. "What are you doing here?"

Ruby wiped her face with her blanket as quickly as she could before reaching to her right to grab a tissue. As she brought it up to her nose, out of habit, she tried to bring the other hand as well. There was a second of hesitation as she waited, before remembering that she would have to do everything one-handed from now on. She blew her nose, then put the tissue by her side, looking back towards the two visitors.

General Ironwood wasn't looking at Yang, but rather at Ruby. She couldn't be sure whether he was looking at her face or her arm, but either way, his expression was hard to place. It was pained, but she thought she saw some regret as well, like he felt guilty.

She couldn't blame him for what happened. It wasn't anyone's fault. No one could have seen it coming.

He stared at her for a few moments, like he was thinking of what to say, before Yang stepped between them, saying, "Can I do something for you, Mr. Ironwood?"

He seemed to snap out of whatever thought he had been stuck in, and looked down at Yang, clearing his throat.

"I'm sorry; I'm here to speak with your sister. I think we would both appreciate being given some privacy."

Something heavy stuck in Ruby's chest, but when she saw Yang's fingers curl into a fist, she spoke up. "Yang, its fine. Just go wait outside. I'll be fine. I promise."

Yang looked between the two, giving Ironwood a suspicious glare, before nodding to Ruby and walking towards the door. "Right outside," she repeated, looking directly at Ironwood as she did so.

The door closed behind her, and Ironwood took a moment to watch her go.

"That's quite the sister you have there," he said over his shoulder. "Hard to believe she would do what she did in the tournament." Before Ruby could say anything, he held up a hand and turned to face her. "Not that I can say anything about that, so please, save your effort."

Ruby breathed out a deep sigh, glancing back down at the stump on her left.

"What do you want? I've already told everyone what I saw."

He shook his head, and pulled the chair closer to the bed, taking a seat. "I'm not here to ask you more questions, Ruby. I'm…" his voice trailed off, and he paused. "I'm here because of Penny, in a sense."

Ruby's eyes widened and her body shot upright.

"Where is she? Is she alright? Can I talk to her?"

Ironwood held up a hand again, shaking his head.

"No, that's not exactly what I meant. She told you about her creator, correct?" Ruby nodded, and he continued. "He's a very kind man, and on top of that, he's very passionate. He looked at Penny like she really was his daughter, and she spoke very highly of you. Suffice it to say that you've made quite the impression on him, and he wants to repay the kindness and support you showed Penny. He heard about the injury you've taken-" he nodded towards the cast, "-and wants to try his best to repair the damage. His work in the field of cybernetics has been revolutionary, as I'm sure you're aware, and I have the utmost faith in his abilities."

Ruby could only stare back, blinking slowly. Repair the damage? Her arm had been totally destroyed, then amputated. There was nothing left to repair.

Her confusion must have shown on her face, because he started to respond to the question she hadn't asked yet.

"He gave me a brief description of what he had in mind, but I think it would be best if he were to explain it himself. You're to be released later today, correct?"

Ruby nodded, and Ironwood continued. "Well then, if it isn't too much trouble, you could come by and talk to him for a little bit. Just talk to Ozpin, and he can arrange transport to my flagship. I'm sure you would like what he has to say."

The Ruby stared silently back, not sure what to do. Ironwood nodded awkwardly, glancing towards the door and standing from the seat.

"Well, I'm sure you've had a stressful couple of days, and you want to spend time with your sister. I'll be waiting, if you take me up on this. It could keep you at the head of your class, even in spite of your injury."

With that, he turned and left. Ruby watched him go, her eyes gradually widening as she went over his words in her head. Cybernetics? That couldn't possibly mean what she thought it did, could it? And was she really going to meet Penny's father? It was certainly strange to think about, she had never imagined the man who had built her friend.

Moments after Ironwood had gone, Yang came back into the room, rushing over to Ruby's side and taking a seat on the side of the bed.

"Well? What'd he want?

Explaining it didn't take long, and by the time she finished, Yang looked almost as confused as Ruby felt. Yang was silent for a moment, before finally speaking up.

"Well? Are you going to do it?"

Ruby's mouth opened, but she hesitated. "I… Yang, I don't think I really have a choice. You know this is the only way I could still fight. I can't use Crescent Rose one-handed, and especially not with my right arm."

Her sister sighed.

"Ruby, you've fought your whole life to be a Huntress! I mean, if you really think this is the only way, I don't think you can pass this up. You never let anything stop you before. " She put a hand on Ruby's leg, then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Ruby again.

"Whatever you do, I'm behind you two hundred percent, alright?"

Ruby's body started to shake again, but she returned the hug as best she could.

"I know."

It was half an hour before the other members of team RWBY arrived at the hospital, and as they walked in, Ruby smiled, genuinely happy.

Blake and Weiss looked about as well as they regularly did, if a little tired. They didn't waste any time in pulling other chairs around the bed and taking their seats around her, asking how she was doing and how the nurses were treating her. She told them the same thing she had the other days; that it was all fine, and the nurses were very nice. Every now and again, she would glance down at the cast, still conscious of the dull ache.

Every time she did, Yang would become much more talkative, taking the others' attention away from her for just long enough for her to get her focus back into the conversation. She appreciated it, but it didn't feel good that her sister had to do that for her.

They talked about all kinds of things; how classwork had been reduced in the wake of what happened, what little of the remainder she had missed, how team JNPR wished they could come visit but wouldn't be able to make it, and what they'd all been doing in Ruby's absence.

The whole time, Ruby wondered if she should tell them about Ironwood's offer. She wanted to know what they would think, but didn't need any more doubts about it put in her head. What if something went wrong? What if it was more dangerous than Ironwood let on?

But they were her friends, and almost like a second family to her. She had to tell them.

"So, guys, what if say, hypothetically, there was a way for me to get my arm back? Well, not my arm, but you know, an arm."

For a few seconds, everyone was silent. Weiss and Blake both averted their eyes, not wanting to be the first to say anything. When it became obvious that Yang wasn't going to say anything, the two looked at each other, thinking quickly.

"Well-" Weiss was the first to start, "-I would urge you to take the opportunity." Her eyes narrowed. "Why? Is there something they could do for you? A prosthesis, or something like that? If you're thinking about it, Atlas has made some major strides in the field of cybernetics. Integrating mechanical limbs into organic bodies might be a tough thing to study, but I have heard from Winter that it is always something the military has pushed for, so soldiers wounded on the battlefield can still return to having some semblance of a normal life."

Ruby turned to Blake, who nodded. "A prosthesis would make sense, but maybe there are other options you could take? Or at least look into before you make your final decision?"

Ruby nodded, but didn't think about what 'other options' were available. None of them would allow her to get back in the fight as well as this.

"Well, General Ironwood came by while you guys were gone, and talked to me about it. He said that the man who built Penny wants to do something for me, since I was so nice to her. He didn't say exactly what it was that he wanted to do, but he said that it could keep me doing well in Beacon. All I have to do is talk to Ozpin about getting to his flagship, then I can talk to the guy."

They looked surprised. Ruby had to admit, she hadn't expected it either, but she was getting more and more excited just thinking about it. Maybe she didn't have to give up on being a Huntress after all. Maybe it would even be kind of cool having a prosthesis.

What would it look like? More importantly, what would it feel like? Her main concern was functionality. As long as she got an arm back, she was happy.

"I think I've made up my mind. As soon as we get out of here, I want to go see Ozpin."

Yang smiled, saying, "You got it. No problem, right guys?" She looked to the others, who nodded.

"Alright, as soon as the Doc says you can go, we're out of here."

Ruby took a deep breath, calming herself down. She didn't have anything to worry about. Her friends were still there for her, and maybe things weren't as grim as they had seemed.

It was about another half an hour before any hospital staff came by, and when the door did open again, it was the doctor who had been making sure Ruby was alright. He asked her to stand, take a few steps, do a few small tasks with her right arm, then nodded.

"Alright, everything appears fine. If you have no further concerns, I think you're clear to go. The clothes your friends brought for you are in the drawer over there. Make sure to sign out with the nurse at the desk before you leave."

She thanked him for everything he had done, and he thanked her for being strong through it all. She didn't think she had been, but it felt good to hear anyways. Everyone but Yang left the room to let her change out of the hospital gown.

It felt good to be putting on her regular clothes again, but as she reached down to tie her boots, she realized that it wasn't quite as easy as she thought it was. Without saying a word, Yang stepped forward, and started tying them for her. A twinge of annoyance shot through her, not at her sister, but at the fact that she needed the help. At least it wasn't for long.

She stepped out of the room, conscious of the sleeve dangling limply on her left. I mild feeling of relief came over her when Weiss stepped forward with safety pins, folding the sleeve up and pinning it in place. She gave Ruby a kind of awkward smile as she did so, before stepping back to make sure it looked good. Ruby assured her it was fine, and Yang made a sarcastic comment about Weiss being a perfectionist.

The walk back to Beacon was surreal, to say the least. Ruby felt like she was in a dream as she walked next to Yang, hearing the others talk amongst themselves. Every now and again, Yang would turn and ask her if she was doing alright, and she would nod, and the group would continue.

when they reached the campus, they walked past the dorm building. There would be plenty of time to get settled back in once she got her new arm.

The elevator ride to Ozpin's office seemed longer than normal, but as Ruby bounced on her heels, she couldn't think of any place she would rather be. When the doors finally opened, Ruby was the first out.

Ozpin was seated at his desk, turned away from them. Ruby waited for the others to step out of the elevator before clearing her throat and speaking, noticing that her voice had gone up an octave.

"Excuse me, Professor Ozpin?"

He turned, raising an eyebrow and pressing a button on his scroll before placing it on his desk.

"Ruby?" He said, standing. "I must admit, you are back on your feet much faster than I expected. How are you holding up?"

Ruby shrugged, causing her stump to lift. "It's not that bad. It's just…" Her eyes drifted to the cast, and she knew how ridiculous she sounded. "Well, okay, maybe I shouldn't really be walking around yet, but this is important. Mr. Ironwood said to come and talk to you. It's about my arm."

Ozpin nodded, responding, "Ah, yes, we discussed the matter briefly before he visited you. You're here to take him up on the offer, I presume?"

She nodded excitedly. "Of course! How could I not? Why would you think I would even have to consider..." Her voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat. "I mean, yes Sir."

Ozpin nodded again, standing by the side of his desk and putting his hands behind his back.

"Yes, James might come off as rather cold, but he can only stand to see so much suffering. He remembers you, of course. And I may have talked about the potential I saw in you several times. I'm glad you decided to accept. I thought you might be interested."

Ruby smiled, saying, "Thank you, Sir. It means a lot to me. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't be a Huntress."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, leaning some of his weight on his desk. "There are plenty of careers helping people. Perhaps none have quite the charm or adventure we Huntsmen and Huntresses have the pleasure of experiencing, though. In any case, I would like to tell you that there is no shame in what happened to you. If you require some excused absences, I'm sure I could find the time to send the teachers a message."

Ruby nodded and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Sir."

Ozpin took the opportunity to lean over his desk, picking up a steaming mug and sipping its contents. As he did so, he turned his head towards the window he'd been looking out before, and Ruby followed his gaze.

Ironwood's flagship floated outside the city, casting a shadow over the Emerald Forest. From this distance, it seemed to simply be hovering there, doing nothing except for waiting, but Ruby could only imagine the hurried military personnel rushing from station to station, trying to work through the fallout of the tournament.

She shook her head, returning her focus to the world around her. She had to move on.

After a few seconds, Ozpin turned back around, and tapped the screen of the scroll he had set down. With a few flicks of his finger, Ironwood's face appeared. For a brief moment, a dull ringing emitted from the device before a small click interrupted it, and Ironwood's voice came through the speakers.

"Ozpin? What can I do for you?"

He leaned forward, knitting his fingers together as he spoke. "James, I have some good news about your deal with Ruby."

Ironwood sounded slightly relieved when he answered. "Ah, very good to hear. I'll send a bullhead over immediately. Her friends will be coming with her, I assume?"

Ozpin glanced up at the others, and Yang didn't hesitate in saying loudly, "Count on it!"

Ozpin smirked as he looked back down at the scroll. "Well there you have it, James."

Yang's hand came down on Ruby's shoulder, and she turned her head to find her sister giving her a wide smile. "Two hundred percent."

Ruby put her arm around Yang's waist, pulling her into as much of a hug as she could manage. Yang hugged her back for a few seconds, then turned Ruby back around when Ozpin started to talk again.

"The General is sending transport now." He pocketed the scroll as he spoke. "You might be able to catch it just as it lands if you hurry."

Ruby didn't need any more than that. With a high pitched squeal, she practically exploded towards the elevator, jamming her entire hand into the button by accident. The others followed quickly, turning and rushing after her. The doors dinged as the slid open, and Ruby stepped in, bouncing on her heels as she waited for the others to get in.

Once her team had assembled, she pounded the button to take the elevator down, and she doors began to slide shut. Ruby looked through the narrowing crack, seeing Ozpin's smirk break out into a light chuckle, shaking his head as he turned away.

The ride down seemed significantly longer than it had been on the way up.

When the doors slid open again, it was a challenge for Ruby to not immediately start sprinting off towards the airfield. Yang was obviously aware of this, as she had a hand on the back of Ruby's hood, just in case. It wouldn't be the first time she'd gotten a little too excited, she had to admit.

Through the entire walk to the airfield, Ruby felt like a dog being walked. Granted, she was the one pulling on the cape as she walked, but she couldn't help herself.

As they came to the airfield, Ruby saw a bullhead coming down for a landing. She almost choked herself into unconsciousness as she struggled against the cape. When she finally gave up, Yang pulled her back, hiding her laughter.

"Ruby, stop! You're going to kill yourself before we even get there."

The pace of the group did increase, though, which Ruby was thankful for. As they drew closer, the cockpit slid open, and the pilot waved them over. The engines died down, and he called out, "You Ruby Rose?"

Ruby nodded, and he gestured to the fuselage. "Get in! You get the special taxi!"

The side doors of the aircraft slid open smoothly, and the team piled in. Ruby had to let Yang go first, then take her hand to pull her up. She hoped the others didn't look, but she could practically feel their eyes on her back.

Once everyone was in, Yang leaned towards the cockpit, saying, "Alright, good to go."

He gave a thumbs up before putting his hands back on the controls and bringing the engines back to life. The doors slid shut again, and after speaking a few brief words into his comms, lifted the craft back into the air. The ride was slightly bumpier than Ruby expected it to be, but she couldn't complain. Not with something so wonderful so close to happening.

She could hardly sit still. Her leg bounced up and down incessantly, and her right hand tugged at the sides of her cape. Yang started to talk to the pilot, but after the first few words, she lost focus. She was too excited to keep her head out of the clouds.

The craft leveled out after a few minutes, then started to slow as the pilot turned his attention back to the skies. Through the windshield, Ruby could see Ironwood's ship getting closer and closer, until it finally seemed to swallow them up as they were brought down into the hangar.

One last jolt rocked the aircraft as it set down. The doors opened as the pilot said, "Here we are. The General should be waiting for you."

After thinking him, the group disembarked from the bullhead, finding themselves in a wide hanger bay. They barely had time to take it in, though, as a voice called out from about twenty feet away. "Ah, Ruby! "

they turned to find Ironwood walking towards them, but not only him. By his side, there was a man none of them recognized. He peered over the rest of the group before focusing on Ruby, smiling warmly. There was something more than simple good-natured old man, though. He looked at her with some degree of familiarity, like he had seen her before.

As they walked closer, Ruby got a better look at the man. He was a little shorter than Ironwood, but not by much. A few wrinkles played across the round face, and a bald spot seemed to be sprouting at the top of his head. His clothes were different from what Ruby had expected, either the same kind of white suit Ironwood wore, or something a little more practical, like what blacksmiths and machinists had.

Instead, he had on a simple white lab coat, with his hands buried deep in his pockets. Before Ruby could say anything, his mouth opened, and he began to speak.

"You must be Ruby, Correct?"

She nodded, and he offered a hand out to her. "I'm Penny's father."

Ruby shook his hand, not sure what to say. She hadn't expected him to be right there. Did she look okay? What was there to say to the man who had made one of Ruby's best friends?

"Um… hi."

He chuckled, putting his hand back in his pocket and stepping back. "A pleasure to meet you, Ruby, it really is. I only wish that we could have met under better circumstances." His face fell slightly, before he made an obvious effort to smile again. "After I heard what happened to you at the tournament, I knew there was something I could do for you."

He turned to Ironwood, saying, "James, I believe I can take things from here. I think you can go back to the bridge now."

Ironwood raised an eyebrow, but nodded his head. "Whatever you say, Tecwyn. You four, behave yourselves."

With that, Ironwood turned to leave, and the other man motioned for them to follow. "Come on, then. You're here for an operation, after all!"

Before they could respond, he started to lead them towards the opposite end of the hanger towards heavyset door, an armed guards on either side. As Tecwyn approached them, they shuffled slightly to the side, and the door opened.

"Uh, excuse me, mister Tecwyn? You haven't actually told me anything about the operation yet. I mean, I kind of assumed what you're going to do, but you're going to explain, right?"

He looked over his shoulder, giving her a small smile. "Of course I will, but Penny always told me about how excited you got over things, and I have a rather deep appreciation for theatrical flare. We aren't far from my workshop, I can show you there."

Ruby looked at the others, who all had doubtful looks. The man was obviously very enthusiastic, if somewhat eccentric. Ruby trusted him though. He couldn't be all bad if he'd made Penny.

After another minute of walking through corridors brought them to a door that seemed thicker than the others, and was labeled "lab." As he approached it, he pulled a small keycard from his pocket and held it up to a scanner at the door's side. It gave a small beep before opening.

The room inside was larger than Ruby had expected, and more resembled a machine shop than any lab Ruby had seen. He walked in, and immediately Ruby's eyes were drawn to a clean metal table. On top of the table, something was covered by a small sheet. Tecwyn's almost jogged over to the side of the table, motioning for Ruby to follow him as he did so.

She obliged, giving a puzzled look as she did so. Before she could ask a single question, he grabbed a fistful of the sheet, throwing it off with a theatric flourish.

Ruby gasped. On a small stand, an arm sat, completely still. For a second, Ruby thought it was her own arm, it looked almost exactly the same. The only thing that signaled differently, other than the lack of ripped flesh and horrendous damage, was the narrow mass of metal and wires that protruded from the shoulder joint.

She put a hand over her mouth and turned towards Tecwyn with wide eyes. He smiled, nodding, and gestured towards it. "Go ahead, take a look."

She wrapped her fingers around the wrist carefully, lifting it off the stand. It didn't weight much more than a normal arm, and she could feel muscles beneath the surface, just like a real arm. Even the skin felt real, aside from being a little too elastic. She gave it a soft squeeze, and could easily feel the metal alloy that was replacing the bone. The frame also didn't have the same shape of a normal bone; but that probably wasn't needed for it to work.

"With a two hour operation, I can have this grafted onto your body and functioning just as well as your natural arm. Maybe even better. The alloy frame is lightweight and far more durable than bone, and the artificial muscle can easily match the power of your previous arm. It can interface flawlessly with your nervous system as well; so much so that you might even forget you have it!"

A smile broke across Ruby's face as she turned it over, examining every detail. Every finger joint was precisely aligned, every knuckle moved smoothly, even the wrist glided like it was the easiest thing in the world.

She held it up to her stump, and realized something about its structure.

"Why does it go all the way to the shoulder? I didn't lose that much of my arm." To demonstrate, she wiggled her stump.

Tecwyn hesitated for a second, then nodded slowly. "Well, yes. Removing a certain amount of what's already there will be necessary, but there would be major structural weakness if it wasn't attached more firmly. If that's a problem, I could modify it as you wished, but that would take time, and hinder the performance. This is the optimum layout, I can assure you."

Ruby glanced back at the others, who were keeping a respectful distance of several feet, looking to see what they thought. Unfortunately, they seemed to be just as lost as she was. She looked back down at the arm, and held it to the stump again. If she didn't get this done, she could kiss her dreams of being a Huntress goodbye.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat and nodded.

"Alright, let's do it."

Tecwyn smiled, and motioned for her to follow him. "Very good! Now, you should come with me, and the rest of your team can find something to entertain themselves in the meantime, I'm sure; Especially on a military airship. Just don't make Ironwood too mad, good?"

They nodded, and the pair started to walk towards the back of the lab. They came to what looked more like a surgery room than anything else, though large computers and server cabinets lined the room instead of the surgical equipment Ruby had expected to see. A flat bed sat in the middle of the room, beneath an almost blinding light that shone directly down onto it.

Ruby recognized an anesthetic machine and vital signs monitor sitting to one side of the bed. She had seen more of those than she would have liked in the past few days.

Tecwyn started to explain what he would do as he readied everything, washing his hands, cleaning the arm, and turning on machines. It sounded like the same kind of thing Ruby had already heard from the other doctors; only now with the added step of putting something back in the place of what was removed.

The longer he talked, the harder Ruby's heart seemed to beat. This was really going to happen. She wasn't a lost cause.

As he started to wrap up his preparations, Ruby's mind started wandering in erratic directions from what it would feel like, to modifications for Crescent Rose. The last train of thought held in her mind until a question came to her mind, and in her nervous state, there was nothing to stop her from speaking it instantly.

"Do you think I could modify this thing myself? Like putting on a gun or an ammo compartment or something? I'm kind of a huge weapon freak, so I think I could handle it."

Over the sound of a sink behind her, Ruby heard him chuckle. "Ah, yes, you built your scythe yourself, didn't you? Impressive work there, really. You're talented, but your talent won't make modifying this easy. I've heard it said by Hunters that your weapon is an 'extension of yourself'.' Well, this isn't an extension, it is yourself. You could potentially modify it, of course, but not without some significant learning first. I'll tell you what-" he stepped to the side of the bed, looking over the machines to make sure they were on and functioning properly. "I'll give you my research on the subject. Technically, I'm not supposed to do that, but more technically, anyone involved in my research has permission to access the full breadth of my work. We'll call this a study, shall we?"

He looked over his shoulder to give Ruby a wink, and she nodded. "Thank you! It really means a lot to me!"

He turned back to the machine, saying, "It's the least I could do. Now, I believe everything is prepared. Ready to start?"

Ruby swallowed again, shakily nodding her head. "Y-yeah!"

She removed her cape, hanging it on the corner of one of the many servers before climbing onto the bed, laying down flat and trying to keep herself calm. She was in good hands, she was sure, but that didn't make her any less nervous.

"Now, I'm going to put the mask over your face, alright? Simply breathe normally, and count back from ten."

A plastic mask came down over her forehead, followed by a high-pitched hiss as gas flowed through. She took a long, deep breath, and started to count.

"Ten… Nine… Eight..."

Before she could get another word out, everything went black.

* * *

Author's Notes:

More to come. If you likes what you saw, leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

It felt like only an instant later that Ruby's eyes opened again, and she found herself somewhere different. The bright light overhead was gone, and her body felt like it was in a different position. She tried to sit up, but she felt sluggish, and her torso was too heavy. She couldn't exactly feel the rest of her body, but the only thing that seemed strange was how heavy everything felt. Even her clothes seemed to hold her down.

An itch started to arise on her nose, and she twitched her face to try and get rid of it. After a few seconds, it became clear that she would have to scratch. It was difficult, but she brought her hand to her face.

Her fingers felt strange, and smelled a little odd as well. Not bad, but different than she was used to. Her eyes slowly meandered down to the limb, and she slowly started to realize something. She was using her left hand. The hand that she'd lost.

If her body was capable of picking itself up from the bed, she would have done so in a heartbeat. As it was, however, she could only push herself slightly up.

"H-hello? Yang?"

From somewhere off to the side, she heard voices and quick movement. Before she knew it, a pair of hands were helping her sit up.

"Ruby, you're up! How are you feeling?" Yang's concern was obvious, but cut short as she noticed that Ruby was partially pushing herself up. "Is it working? The arm, I mean. You used it, right?"

Ruby nodded, her head bouncing slightly as muscles failed to do as she wanted. She did her best to move her legs over the side of the bed, and with a little help from Yang, was able to get into a sitting position.

She stared down at the floor, trying to get her thoughts organized. She'd been on the table, she put the mask on…

She shifted her torso slightly, and felt her left hand brush across the sheets. After a few moments of hesitation, she brought the hand in front of her.

It looked like a regular hand. At least, to her it did. Her vision was still somewhat blurry, but she felt confident that it did indeed appear to be a regular hand. She tapped her fingertips together slowly, making sure that she could control even small movements. She missed most of them, but comparing this against her other hand, the two seemed fairly equal.

Yang laughed, and said, "Ruby, you're not going to be good to go right away. Give it some time for the anesthetic to wear off before you start trying to do stuff like that. Can you walk?"

Ruby let her arm fall back down to the bed before starting to push herself off. Yang got a little closer, putting her hands on Ruby's shoulders and saying something she couldn't quite make out. As her weight shifted from the bed to her legs, they promptly crumpled from beneath her.

Yang caught her before she hit the ground, and instead of helping to stand her back up, reached down and picked Ruby up like she was a baby. Under normal circumstances, Ruby might have protested, but she felt too tired.

As Yang turned, Ruby saw Weiss and Blake in the room as well. They looked like they were trying not to laugh. She was too tired to care, though, and let her eyes drift closed again.

Before she could fall asleep a second time, Yang shook her gently, and said, "Hey, hold on. You want to go back to the dorm, right? Ruby, come on, at least answer first."

Ruby groaned, giving another weak nod, feeling her arms go limp again. She was going to fall asleep, she knew it, it wasn't worth fighting. She slipped back into a deep sleep, nuzzling into Yang slightly as she did so.

This time, she dreamed.

She was fighting Grimm. There were countless numbers, and the widest variety she'd ever seen. But in the face of it it all, she stood perfectly still, like a statue, watching them come. Only when they got close did she react, and when she moved, it became clear something was odd.

She could see every Grimm like it was in slow motion as they charged her down, and when they were about to come into contact with her, she danced effortlessly away. Countless blows were parried, dodged, and simply couldn't keep up with her. No matter how hard the monsters tried, and no matter how many there were, none could land a single blow. Ruby didn't understand why, but in the dream, she was calm about it, like it was to be expected.

After what felt like a long time of evading, she started to hit back. Where she got Crescent Rose from, she didn't know, but the Grimm were cut down like animals to the slaughter. Each strike Ruby gave was deftly placed and expertly executed, slicing through flesh and bone like she was cutting through paper.

The Grimm didn't have the slightest prayer of defeating her, but they still poured forth in droves. The more Ruby slaughtered, the more thinned out they became.

After a while, she found herself fighting a huge beowolf, at least three times her height. It was fast, but not fast enough. Every attack it made, Ruby was able to subvert and retaliate, carving deep gashes into its flesh. The beast's hide started to smoke and pop, the more damage Ruby did, and after a particularly vicious strike to its belly, it finally keeled over, cracking the ground with the weight of its corpse.

Ruby jerked upright, eyes darting around wildly.

She was under a blanket, although her waking up threw most of it off of her body. A few beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as her brain worked to find the next of her enemies to slay, before she realized that it had merely been a dream.

She shook her head, turning her attention to her surroundings. She was in her bunk, back at the dorm. It was a little disorienting to keep waking up in different places, but at least this time it was some place familiar. Her body didn't feel the fatigue from before. Whatever Tecwyn had given her, it must've been wearing off.

Again, she brought her left hand in front of her, moving as quickly as she could to confirm her hopes.

It was there, just as she expected it to be. Synthetic skin stretched across the surface of the masterfully crafted prosthesis, disguising the intricate tangle of artificial muscle. Ruby could feel every one of them, and as she began to flex her fingers, she couldn't help but marvel at their complexity. She could feel every muscle pulling and relaxing individually.

She let out a small giggle, bringing her other hand up to compare. Her right hand felt clumsy now by comparison to her left, even more than usual. It felt dull, too, like she was less aware of what was going on inside of it.

She flexed her elbow, putting her arm out straight, balling her fingers into a fist. It felt good. Undeniably, inexpressibly good. She scooted towards the side of the bed, throwing her feet over the side and pushing off towards the ground. Her boots hit the floor with a loud thud, and she teetered forward, dangerously close to planting her face on the floor, hard. She brought her arms forward to catch herself, in a panic.

When her palms hit, her right wrist gave a small protest as the bone and muscle bore the brunt of the impact. The force of the impact traveled up her arm, all the way to her shoulder. Her left wrist, however, didn't seem affected at all. She could feel the carpet on her palm, and even felt the force of the impact move up her arm, but there was no pain. The muscles held strong, and the rest of the hit was absorbed by the metal.

Ruby smiled again, and picked herself up. She moved the fingers of the hand, idly tapping them against each other and tracing shapes on her palms as she looked around the room. The other beds were empty, but she could hear running water in the bathroom. She was glad she hadn't been left alone, at least. The rest of the room looked much the same as it had before the tournament; Blake's books were strewn around on her bed, Yang's covers were bunched up and thrown in a ball at the foot of her bed, and Weiss's area was immaculately kept, as always.

It almost felt strange to be back, but she was glad for it. She preferred this room over the hospital any day. After a few more moments of looking around, she spied an unfamiliar scroll on the end table. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether she should touch it, but her curiosity got the better of her.

It wasn't locked, and appeared to have only rudimentary functions, almost useless in any real day to day situation. In spite of this, its memory was almost completely full. Ruby raised an eyebrow, then tapped her finger on one of the countless icons that filled up the screen.

A large headline reading, "Basic Cybernetic Theory" stared back up at her, followed by a huge paper that, as best Ruby could tell, outlined the basics of exactly that. She scrolled back to the top, looking to confirm a suspicion, and nodded to herself when she found it correct. Doctor Tecwyn's name hung just below the title.

Ruby closed out the file, wondering if they were all scientific papers or not. Checking a few more, she found pages of notes, blueprints, codes, system interfaces; a veritable goldmine if she planned to make her own modifications to her arm, which, of course, she did.

She was just about to sit down at the desk when the bathroom door opened, and her sister stepped out. She looked up, and stared at Ruby for a few seconds before registering what was going on.

"Ruby! You're up!" She rushed forwards, wrapping Ruby in a bear hug before putting her hands on her shoulders and staring happily. "How do you feel?"

Ruby held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers for a moment before giving a thumbs up. "It works!"

Yang laughed, but there was more behind it than just humor. Ruby could practically see a weight coming off of her sister's shoulders. She was relieved. Relieved that Ruby was happy? Relieved that her arm worked? Ruby couldn't tell, but she was relieved too.

After she stopped laughing, Yang noticed the scroll in Ruby's hand. "Oh, you found that already. Good, Tecwyn said you wanted it. Lots of stuff on there. We tried to take a look, but it all looks pretty complicated."

Ruby nodded. She was right, but she was also sure that with a little work, she could see it just like she did weapon specs. It wasn't all that different.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her stomach growled loudly. She hadn't eaten all day, there had been too much going on. "Where are Weiss and Blake?"

"They're out getting lunch. Good timing, I guess, right? They should be back some time soon, which is good for you. So how are you feeling? You want to go to class tomorrow?"

Ruby took a moment to think. She was fit enough to train, she was sure, and she couldn't wait to try her new arm in combat, but that wasn't the only important thing she had to worry about. She looked down at the scroll in her hands. There were hundreds of files on the thing, it could take days to get through if she had the interruptions of school. If she took a few days off, however…

She almost felt guilty about it, Ozpin had offered her days off so she could recover. She was sure that she didn't need the time for that. But almost feeling bad wasn't enough to stop Ruby from shaking her head, saying, "I don't think so. I think it'd be a good idea to wait until I know a little more about this thing before I get back to using it."

Yang laughed, and nodded. "Alright, skipping it is. Just make sure you don't have too much fun without us, okay?"

Ruby pulled another one of the files up, quickly scrolling through while saying sarcastically, "I don't know, it's going to be a blast."

For her, it would be, but the others didn't quite share her enthusiasm for these types of things. She sat at the desk, readying herself for what was probably going to be the most intense study session she'd had yet. Yang stretched out on her bed, pulling her own scroll from her pocket and thumbing through its various tabs.

Ruby was quick to bury her face in the text, taking in as much information as she could. All the while, she glanced down at her new arm, checking everything. It wasn't too unlike studying a new weapon. She had it, had a vague idea of what she could do with it, but the reading gave her all the specifics she could want.

After the first half hour, she sat back, taking a moment to process everything. Her arm had access ports, apparently, that opened into the musculature and wiring. After making sure there was no reason not to, Ruby was eager to try opening them.

She rolled up her sleeve, and decided the port on the inside of her wrist, just below the palm, would be the easiest to do. The mechanism to open it was not easy to activate, even purposefully, but after several minutes of trying, a flap several inches long and several more inches wide of the arm's exterior chassis flipped up, taking the synthetic skin with it. Ruby bit her lip, and looked back over to the scroll. That was supposed to happen, right?

She gave a sigh of relief when she read that the skin would connect again seamlessly when the flap was put back down, and peered into the new hole.

Everything inside seemed black and grey, but she couldn't see more than a fourth of an inch before the view was blocked by muscle. She pouted, realizing that any poking around would require some very small tools, maybe even smaller than she had. She started to wiggle her fingers again, watching the bands of muscle move.

After a moment, it sank in exactly what it was she was doing. Without even worrying, she'd opened her body up. If she'd done this with her other arm, she would be screaming in pain, and bleeding profusely.

She leaned back again, keeping her arm on the table. Was she being a little rash about this? She shook the thought off. Of course not. The arm was a machine, even if it was a part of her. And besides, everybody upgraded their bodies, in a way. Yang did all kinds of exercises, Weiss worked relentlessly on her form and technique, and Blake always tried to make herself more agile and flexible.

Ruby jumped in surprise when a knock came from the door, prompting Yang to jump up and say, "I got it!"

When she opened the door, Ruby leaned back to find Jaune standing in the doorway, the rest of his team behind him.

"Hey Yang. How's Ruby-" as he spoke her name, his eyes flicked to the side, and he saw her sitting. "Oh, you're up! How are you feeling?"

Yang stepped to the side, allowing the small group into the room, and Ruby stood from the desk. Team JNPR looked as well as could be expected. None of them had been injured in the chaos of the tournament, at least. Something did seem off about them, though. Mostly about Pyrrha.

Ruby smiled as she talked back, somewhat distracted as she tried to see what was going on with Pyrrha. She seemed distant, and her normally excellent stature was hunched over. Her arms were folded nervously, and she didn't look directly at Ruby. She was also standing towards the back of the group, and didn't seem to have any intention of changing that. It wasn't like her, and Ruby didn't like seeing a friend like this.

All of them seemed to have bags under their eyes. Ruby couldn't say she was surprised, no one had been sleeping well lately. Even Nora had similar bags under her eyes.

Jaune opened his mouth to say something else, but his eyes drifted down to the access panel Ruby had left open. "Woah, I guess they were serious about that, huh?"

Ruby looked down, realizing what she had done and nodding. "Oh, yeah, I didn't know what to think either, honestly. But it works really well, and I think I might be able to make some cool modifications. But enough about me, how are you guys doing?"

Jaune shuffled, looking down at his feet and scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Oh, you know, holding up. It's been rough since the tournament. Everyone is pretty shaken up over it, but a lot of people are putting a lot more effort than before too. So, you know, we're alright."

Ruby nodded again, saying, "That's good."

There was a moment of pause before Jaune stepped forward and pointed at Ruby's arm.

"Does that hurt? I mean, it looks kind of painful."

She shook her head, holding her arm out for him to examine. "Nope, it feels fine!" Ren and Nora also stepped forward, looking over Jaune's shoulder curiously as Ruby started to wiggle her fingers. "Look, you can see them move! I'm really glad I have it."

Ren's face remained impossible to read, Jaune started to turn a pale shade of green, and Nora's eyes got even wider than they normally were. Yang gave a small chuckle before saying, "Ruby, you might not want to go around showing that kind of thing off. I don't think Jaune likes seeing holes in arms. It is a little weird, to be honest."

Ruby's cheeks burned as she realized showing off the hole in her arm was probably one of the weirder things she'd done over the course of the year. Turning her arm inwards to face her, she pushed the flap down, averting her eyes. As she did this, she caught a glimpse of Pyrrha's face.

Ruby knew the look of horror was from what had happened with Penny. She was probably scared that she would do the same to Ruby, if she wasn't careful. Ruby stepped towards her slowly, saying, "Pyrrha, are you alright? You look kind of... off."

Pyrrha stared at Ruby's arm for a few more seconds before shaking her head and blinking. "What? Oh, i-it's nothing. I'm glad to see you back, Ruby."

She gave a smile, but it was forced and uncomfortable. Ruby took another step towards her, putting a hand out comfortingly, saying, "If there's something the matter, you can tell us. Please, I want to help!"

As soon as her fingers brushed against Pyrrha's arm, the older girl jerked away, her smile disappearing in an instant as she took a step backwards towards the door.

"Ruby, please, I-" she stopped, realizing that everyone was staring at her. Ruby could see tears starting to well in her eyes. With an unsteady yet quick movement, she turned, saying, "I need to go!"

Jaune tried to catch her as she ran from the room, calling for her to wait and following after her, leaving Nora and Ren behind. A somber expression came across Nora's face, and Ren leaned out of the door, watching his teammates go. As he did, he said over his shoulder, "That probably could have gone better."

Nora sighed, turning to Ruby with an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry about this, she's still not feeling very good. She blames herself for what happened. We've tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault, but she just won't listen."

Ruby continued to look at the doorway, listening to the sounds of Jaune chasing Pyrrha fade away through the building. Her heart fell and she looked back down at her left arm. Of course Pyrrha wouldn't want to see something like that. How could she have been so stupid? As bad as Ruby felt about Penny, Pyrrha must have felt ten times worse.

Yang stepped forwards again, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder and ushering her back to the desk. "Ruby, don't worry about it. I'm sure Jaune can calm her down. Why don't you just get back to what you were doing? I mean, you've obviously learned something already. Funny how I had to help you make your original blueprint for Crescent Rose, and now you're reading up on stuff I couldn't even begin to wrap my head around.."

Ruby sighed, sliding out the chair and reaching for the scroll again. She wanted to help, but it didn't seem like there was anything she could do. Nora and Ren bid their farewells, telling Ruby that they were glad she was up and happy with her new arm before taking off after Jaune and Pyrrha, hoping to catch up once Pyrrha stopped.

Yang closed the door and turned back to Ruby, silent for a moment, before saying, "Well, that was nice of them."

Ruby could only grunt in reply, putting her chin on the desk and holding the scroll directly in front of her face. It didn't take long for her to get absorbed into her studies again, comparing notes and papers to the piece of machinery grafted onto her body.

It wasn't long after that Weiss and Blake returned with bags of food from town. Yang was quick to jump up and claim the items she wanted, but it took Ruby great concerted effort to look away from her new scroll.

After several minutes, her stomach growled again, and she couldn't ignore it any more. She closed the scroll and turned, only to find Yang tossing a small bag her way. She gave a high pitched yelp as she just barely caught it.

Yang laughed, and Weiss turned to her, saying, "Yang, that's hardly an appropriate thing to do! Ruby had surgery _earlier today_ and you're throwing things at her?"

Yang waved her hand dismissively as Ruby started to dig into the bag, fishing out anything she could wrap her fingers around. "She's fine, look! Besides, using her reactions like that will get her used to it faster than just sitting around. Right Ruby?"

Ruby looked up, half of a sandwich stuffed into her mouth. Her eyes flicked between Weiss and Yang, before she slowly nodded, not sure what she was agreeing to.

An exasperated sigh escaped Weiss's throat as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Ruby turned her attention back to the scroll, absently continuing to eat as she did so. A conversation started behind her, but she didn't pay it any mind. If she wanted to really learn this stuff, she needed to focus. No distractions.

It didn't take long to sink her attention back into the texts. General systems were first to learn, just like with any weapon. When she thought of it as a weapon, it seemed much easier to understand. The more she read, the more ideas she had. Could she have some sort of dust-powered super punch? Maybe that would make Yang jealous, though. It wouldn't be very useful to her anyways, considering she preferred to keep her distance from her targets. She wondered if her new arm was more stable than its predecessor. Accuracy was something she was always looking to improve.

Maybe there was something else she could do, though. Something easier, maybe, would be better to focus on at first. But what could she do? Keeping her ideas simple was a difficult thing to do, but as she continued to read, she started to hone in on more plausible ideas. An extra compartment for ammunition, or something? She would give it thought, but learning the systems was more important at the moment.

Time seemed to fly by as she buried herself further and further into the text. The shower turned on and off a couple times, but she didn't look to see who it was. A plate of food was placed on the desk next to her, but after the sandwich she had, she wasn't hungry. Finally, Yang started speaking, then after a moment of Ruby failing to respond, her hand came on her sister's shoulder, shaking her back into the real world.

"Ruby, it's almost midnight. Time to start heading to bed." Her sister stated as her eyes started to droop from exhaustion, causing Ruby to wonder what she had been up too.

"Alright, let me just finish this last paper. I'm almost done." Yang nodded before walking over to her bed and planting her face into the soft pillow. After she left Ruby remembered the food next to her and took a bite as she absentmindedly went back to reading.

After a while, Ruby's head started to nod, and her focus blurred. She never looked away from the scroll, though. She had to finish the paper, and when she did, she was still awake enough to get through another. She didn't have to go to class anyways, so what was the harm in staying up a few more minutes? Everyone else was asleep anyways, it wasn't like they were going to tell her no.

The more she read, the more she leaned over, putting her chin on her hand to support her. Maybe she could use a little rest, but she could still finish off the paper. A few more words, at least.

Her eyes drifted shut slowly, and her breathing slowed. There wouldn't be any harm in taking a little break, just for a few seconds.

It seemed like a second later that she was overtaken by the sensation of falling, quickly followed by her head banging against the surface of the desk. With a sharp cry she threw herself back, her eyes shooting open. The feeling of falling didn't subside, and for a brief moment, her arms flailing out at her sides, trying to find anything to grab onto.

The back of her head hit the floor as her chair toppled over, and she came to a rest, staring up at the ceiling. After blinking the spots out of her eyes, she looked around.

Thin lines of early morning sunlight streamed through the window, making the room just bright enough for Ruby to see that the others were still asleep in their beds. She was glad she hadn't woken them up, at least. What time was it? How late had she been up?

Ruby clambered back to her feet, setting the chair back upright as she did so, rubbing her forehead absentmindedly. It probably wasn't the best way to start the day, but at least she was up early. A plate of half-eaten food sat next to the scroll Ruby had been reading off of, and she took a small bite before looking at the scroll. Judging by its battery life, it'd been on all night.

She rubbed her eyes, yawning widely as she staggered over to her bed. Pulling herself to the top bunk would be too hard given how tired she felt, and she doubted Blake would appreciate Ruby sleeping in her bed. With slow, tired movements, she grabbed a charger from beside her bed and plugged it in at the desk, pulling the scroll closer and holding it up to her face.

The light seemed harsh in her eyes now, forcing her to squint to make out any of the letters. It wasn't easy, but she managed to keep going for a few lines before yawning again, and looking back at the others. They were still not awake, and didn't seem to show any sign that they would wake up soon. She glared at the clock, doing her best to make out what it said from across the room. It was about five in the morning, much too early to be awake for Ruby. She groaned again, putting her head down on the desk for a moment before shaking herself awake and resuming her reading. She was too tired to think about mods now, but she could still learn how prostheses like this worked.

After about half an hour, it became clear to her that reading was hopeless as well. She couldn't conjure enough focus to absorb the information. She sat back in her chair, sighing frustratedly. If she couldn't even read, what good was she?

She put her arm out on the desk, peering down at it. Now she knew how it worked. At least, for the most part. She moved the fingers again, paying special attention to how each one felt. Having an arm back was great, but she could practically feel the wasted opportunity for something more. It was the same thing she felt before she reworked Crescent Rose.

Maybe she needed to take the thing apart a little bit. Not much, of course, but just enough to get more ideas as to what she could do. That was the only way she was going to get any ideas.

But to do that, she would need tools. Not just any tools, but extremely specific tools. More than anything she owned. Be that as it was, the forge would have tools like that in abundance. The only issue was that the forge didn't open before class started. She would have to wait hours to get in.

She yawned again, stretching her arms over her head. She could find something to do with the time, she was sure. She lowered her head to rest on the desk, her eyes started to drift closed when she heard movement to her side.

"Oh, Ruby, you're up. Good, you can get started on the homework you missed."

She looked over to see Weiss getting up from her bed, holding a small pile of papers and a notebook. They slammed onto the table next to her face, startling her awake for a moment.

"We have class today, so you'll have to take care of it yourself, but don't worry, I took notes for you." Ruby guessed she was referring to the notebook, while Weiss paused to fix her bed.

"I'll stop by during lunch to check your progress, so don't worry too much if you find something you need a little help with." Pulling a towel from her makeshift dresser, she started walking toward the bathroom for her morning preparations.

"And I expect you to have it finished by the end of the day." She commented before closing the door.

Ruby groaned in annoyance as her forehead slammed into wood surface.

"But I just want to _sleep!_ "

* * *

Author's Note:

Another week, another chapter. Eventually I'm going to have to get back to Ancient Secrets...

Until then, leave a review!


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby tried to keep her eyes open as she slowly made her way towards the school forge. Staying up all night probably hadn't been her brightest idea, but her head was still buzzing with the pages and pages of information she'd read.

She glanced down at her left arm, wiggling the fingers again and feeling the strange sensation of metal moving in response to her every whim. Maybe it was a byproduct of being so tired, but it seemed like the feeling had gotten even stronger. She got the feeling that it was just her imagination acting up. She'd spent some time looking over the things that Weiss had left her. It had almost bored her to tears. She didn't know how it was possible for a person to take such exact notes, especially in Professor Port's class.

She shivered as she imagined having to sit through another one of his stories. It seemed like a blessing that Ozpin was willing to get her out of that.

She glanced down at her scroll, a small smile sliding across her face. The forge was almost open. It wasn't the first time that she had waited outside the doors. She'd become somewhat friendly with "The Forgemaster" who worked it, though he didn't often interfere with what the students were doing. Mainly he just kept track of all the school's materials, and made sure that there was some level of safety and cleanliness upheld when the students were done; occasionally helping if they request it or giving advice.

Ruby always made sure that her workstation was spotless when she was done, so he was more than willing to go out of his way the few times she did need help with something compared to the other students. When she reached the large doors of the building, they were still closed. She put her hands together, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in an attempt to keep her eyes from drifting shut.

After a few moments, she heard a click, and her head jerked to the side. The Forgemaster stepped out, taking a moment to look over the campus before noticing Ruby's presence.

When he noticed that she was there, he smiled, but it was a concerned smile that Ruby had gotten used to seeing in the hospital. She smiled back, and waved with her left arm.

"Hello! I'm back! I know you normally don't get anyone in this early, but I was hoping I could get some early hours in. And probably the rest of the day, too. I've got a lot to do, you know?"

All he could do was stare at her before he finally blinked, shaking his head.

"What? Oh, yeah. Sure, you're always welcome here, of course, but..." he paused, staring at her arm. "You did lose your arm, right? I mean, that's what I heard. Couldn't have been sadder when I heard, but it looks like I might've heard wrong."

Ruby nodded, holding the arm up. "Well, I did, but I got a new one! I know it probably sounds a little weird, but that's mostly why I'm here. The guy who gave me it also gave me a bunch of research stuff about it, but you know how I am with that kind of stuff. I need to poke around a little if I really want to understand it."

He stood still for a second, like he didn't know what to say, before replying, "Oh. Huh. Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, is that thing fragile or anything?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "No, it's fine. It's designed so I can fight with it, so it can't be too easy to mess up. You can take a look at it, if you want. It's pretty cool."

He blinked a few times, then stepped to the side, holding one of the doors open.

"Well, sounds like a good way to spend the morning to me. You got out of class, right? You know I'm supposed to keep track of everyone who comes here."

She nodded. "Yeah, Ozpin said I could skip out on things until I got readjusted to everything. I think learning about my new arm counts for that, right?"

He smirked, saying, "Yeah, I'd say it does. Head right on in, I'll be with you in a minute."

She walked inside, feeling the temperature immediately start to raise. It was a comfortable heat though, at least to her. She didn't mind getting sweaty, at least not when she was working on her weapons. Working on her arm would be no different. She just needed to figure out how to do it. Then she'd need some inspiration, but that would come later.

It felt odd to be walking in without Crescent Rose. She was so used to its weight when she was here that it almost felt like she was going behind someone's back. She shook it off, reminding herself that her scythe wasn't a person, no matter how much she might want it to be.

One of her favorite work stations, not too hot, away from other stations so that focusing was easy, and close enough to most of the supply stations that there were no long walks across the workshop floor. A plethora of tools sat at the side of a workbench, a wide variety of sizes available. Somewhere here, there were tools just the size she needed.

It took some time, but after staring at the neatly arranged collection, she saw a few small enough that they would probably work. It took a second to get the panel on her arm open again, but when she did, she flicked a few of the workstation's lights on, and leaned down to get as good a look as she could.

She found that using the tools with one hand was much harder than she might have thought. The probe she used to poke around was barely wider than a piece of pencil led, and being forced to use her right arm made keeping her movements delicate even more difficult.

Comparing the insides of the arm to the notes she'd read last night helped slightly in knowing where she was going with the probe. Now she was at least semi-confident that she wasn't going to kill the arm with a small twitch. There was a surprising amount of room inside of the hard shell. If she wanted to put something else there it would be fairly simple matter, making sure she could control it would be the difficult part.

A throat clearing behind her made her yelp, turning quickly to find the Forgemaster leaning over her shoulder, gazing down at the open port, his bushy eyebrows almost lost in his hair.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. That's some pretty complex looking stuff. You're sure you can handle all that?"

She nodded, then looked back to the arm.

"Yeah, it's not too hard. See, these bundles work the same as nerves, but they're a lot-"

She stopped as she tried to push a muscle out of the way, only to realize that her probe was gone. For a moment only her eyes moved as she tried to track down the tool. She hadn't heard it drop, or felt it slip from her fingers, so where could it have gone?

Her left arm gave a small twitch, and she felt the muscles drag against something. She flinched, and looked back at the Forgemaster, pursing her lips and making a few small movements with her other hand.

"Uh, are there, like, tweezers or something you could get? I think I dropped the probe in my arm."

A small chuckle escaped through his nose while he shook his head softly in amusement. "I'll go see what I've got!" As he strode away, he shouted over his shoulder, "It doesn't hurt, does it? I'm not going to need to call the hospital?"

Ruby tensed the arm again, feeling the probe slide around more. As she raised her wrist, it got pushed closer towards the access panel. An idea occurred to her, and she carefully brought her fingers to the port. It would feel bizarre, but if it didn't hurt, she could do it. With a little bit of hesitation, she slid her fingers in, reaching for the probe.

She bit her lip as a strange sensation came over the inside of the arm. It wasn't pain. If anything, it was more akin to being tickled than anything else. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Ruby continued to work the muscles in her arm as she worked her fingers slowly deeper in.

The probe was close. Just a little bit further, maybe a quarter of an inch…

The Forgemaster returned just as Ruby lifted her arm of the workbench, her tongue through her teeth as her nails brushed the end of the tool. He held the forceps at his side, watching Ruby dig through her own musculature. A knot formed in his stomach, and he wasn't sure if he was cringing, or revolted. All he was completely aware of was that he couldn't force himself to look away.

A second later, Ruby smiled, and hold in a giggle as she carefully started to pull the probe out. She took extra care to make sure nothing got hooked on the way out, and after bringing her arm gently back down to the table, she pulled the probe free.

Once it was out, she set it back down, leaning her weight into the table. Her heart was beating like a bass drum, but a smile crept its way across her face.

"I did it!" She turned to the Forgemaster, letting out a deep breath. "Oh my god, that was weird!"

He could only chuckle, shaking his head.

"You've got no idea. Now, you going to show me how this thing works, or am I just going to have to believe you're magic?"

Ruby waved him over, picking up where she'd left off. The look that gradually came across his face was one Ruby loved to see. He was completely blown away by the level of complexity the arm made use of. He asked a few questions, most of which Ruby knew the answer to, but there were a few she hadn't quite gotten to in the notes.

The more she talked, the more her lack of sleep became obvious. She struggled for certain words, and found herself stuttering every few sentences. It didn't take long for the Forgemaster to figure that leaving her to her work would probably be best, but not before making her promise to tell him everything she figured out. It was a promise she looked forward to keeping. Having someone who would understand everything she talked about would be especially comforting.

She pulled the scroll from her pocket, and started to look over some of the more advanced items. If she could get familiar enough with them, she could start trying out new things today; enhancements, or at least modifications. She had to be able to get something done.

After some time, she had made up a list of the things she would need to make something. She didn't know what it would be yet, of course, but sometimes the best way to get inspiration was to simply jump right in. A cart full of materials later, she was heating up the forge, getting ready to craft some cybernetics.

The forge was hot, the metal was prepared, and she had no idea what to do.

Her gaze shifted down to the tools she would use to form whatever it was she made. The selection of tools was impressive, she had to admit. Some of the more destructive tools were things she wished she could carry around, drills and plasma cutters; things that, outside of the forge, no one in their right mind would let her hold. They would be useful out in the field, in case someone broke a weapon, or some vehicle needed repair.

In her mind's eye, she started to see something. Maybe she could make those tools not so hard to carry around. But how would she do it? There had to be an efficient way, and the arm didn't have any single cavity large enough to hold all of those tools. There had to be a way to do it, though. Not on their own, maybe, but if she could make them into one, or make them more flexible, then it might work.

The picture of a tendril covered in cutters, manipulators, and anything else she thought she might need. How it would feel to have an arc welder be just as much of her body as her fingers Ruby could hardly imagine, but she looked forward to it with a strange excitement.

A fully actuated tentacle would have plenty of room in the casing, and would probably be the most useful, once she learned how to move it around. All she had to do was build one. She stretched her arms over her head, cracking the knuckles on her right hand as she did so. It couldn't be that hard. The only thing she didn't have the capability to make was the nerve cords, and she was sure she could get her hands on those eventually.

Soon enough, the sounds of the forge were ringing in her ears like music. The main forge roared with a fury that could only be contained by its owner, who was now fully clad in protective gear and a welding mask. Every time he stoked the coals, fire would leap out into the air, and sparks would attack anything that came to close. Ruby didn't know what he was working on today, but looking at the different ingots he had, she guessed it was a decorative commission piece. Eventually other students started to arrive, drowning out everything but Ruby's thoughts. Time slid by, and before Ruby knew it, her stomach was growling angrily at her.

She wanted to keep working, but it didn't seem like she had a choice. It took a few minutes to put everything away, but she made sure to save the station for herself, leaving her work in place to show that she was coming back. She had enough Lien to get something from almost any restaurant in town, but that was a longer walk than she wanted to make. The cafeteria would still be open for breakfast, despite class having started a while ago.

As she made her way to the doors, she realized that the panel on her arm was still open. She felt her cheeks turn slightly red as she flipped the panel closed.

The cafeteria was almost empty, something that she felt grateful for. Her lack of sleep, combined with her strange focus, meant that her mind never moved on from her designs. She shoveled food into her mouth, working and reworking the metal shell, the neural network, and the attachments that would make the addition worth it. She was barely aware of when she pushed her tray away and stood back up, walking back towards the exit.

Ruby muttered quietly to herself as she pushed the door open, but stopped when she heard someone speaking. She got the feeling that whoever was talking was doing so to her, and looked over her shoulder to find them.

No one else was in the large dining hall, but she was able to track the voice to a screen hanging on the wall. It was a news report, a headline at the bottom of the screen reading, "Victims of Arena Disaster Recovering."

A reporter was facing the camera, pictured appearing behind them as they did so. "... Spite of the horrible events not too long ago, everyone who was injured is now receiving proper medical attention, but the news isn't all good. Many of the survivors have been seriously injured, and are unlikely to return to normal life. Of all the cases, the most serious involve paralysis, maimings, crippled limbs, and psychological trauma. If you want to help, you can donate money here, at . . ."

A number appeared on the screen, but Ruby didn't pay any attention. She only stared up at the pictures behind the reporter, taking in the kind of injuries that other people at the arena had gotten. It was horrible. Her own stump of an arm had looked like a few of them, not more than a day ago. She looked down at her arm again, feeling much more thankful than she had before.

Was it fair? Did she deserve the arm more than anyone else? Seeing the faces of the other people who had gotten hurt, she wasn't sure. They were all so sad. She had looked like that too. Giving some small donation wouldn't help them, they needed something more. They needed to be given their lives back, like she'd had hers. An idea sparked into life in Ruby's head, and a smile came across her face. Maybe there was a way she could help them. After all, she was already working on creating a cybernetic enhancement for herself, why not for the other people too? She didn't know if she could do the surgery, but she was sure that someone would be able to.

She blinked, shaking herself back to the present. Maybe it would be better to get some sleep before putting her mind to such a broad task. One tentacle was fine, but she had no idea how many arms, legs, and whatever else she would need.

Her attention gradually rolled back to the tentacle. Its shell would be the easy part, the nerves would be more challenging. She wanted to be able to feel the thing, not just control it. Creating the neural network to do that wouldn't be hard necessarily, but it would be complex, especially considering there was no human limb to base it off of. The good thing, though, was that Ruby could test it as she went. If she made installing it easy enough, she could just pop it in and out as she went.

When she got back to the forge, she was pleased to find that her station was just as she left it. Without hesitation, she got back to work. The enhancements shell was coming along nicely, smooth and, as far as she could tell, functional. Making the tools she would put in was the next step, and to do that, she would need the nerve fibers. Getting them would only take one call, at least she hoped.

Tecwyn's personal contact information had been on the scroll he gave her, and it didn't take long for her to dial the number and start bouncing on her heels again. The dial tone rang once, then twice, before a voice popped into life, saying, "Yes, hello? Who is this?"

Ruby responded, saying, "Mr. Tecwyn, Sir? It's Ruby. I was calling to see if I could get some of the material you used for nervous tissue in my arm. There isn't really any way for me to get it on my own, and it's kind of important to making something work. It isn't too much trouble, is it?"

There was a moment of muted grumbling as Tecwyn talked to himself, and Ruby could imagine him looking through the lab to see if he had any spare parts laying around for her to use.

"Yes, I do think I could send you something! How much might you be needing, if I may ask?"

She didn't know how much this thing was going to take, and she had no idea how to ballpark the amount. So, she chose the next best thing. "How much can I get?"

Tecwyn laughed for a moment. "Ah, one of those projects, eh? I am well acquainted, believe me. I should be able to have something down to you within the hour. Should I send this to your dorm room?"

"No, it'd be better off going to the forge. I promise I'll send you info on what I've got when I'm done!"

Tecwyn's response was, "Very good! It's a pleasure to see a budding interest in the field. If you're half as good with cybernetics as you are with weapons, I'm sure you'll be more than satisfied with your results. I certainly look forward to seeing them!"

After thanking him profusely, Ruby hung up. A soft warmth settled in her chest, and it had nothing to do with the heat of the forges around her. Not only would she get the things she needed, but also the blessing of one of the most advanced cyberneticists in the world. She had to wonder if he was really all that impressed by her work with weapons or not. It seemed unlikely, but she knew that it had played into her getting into Beacon. Maybe she really was that good.

Regardless, she still had work to do. Her tools weren't going to assemble themselves, and while she still didn't have all the parts she would need, she could start planning it out.

She couldn't help but look forward to seeing the other's reactions to it when she was finished. She hadn't told any of them what she was planning, so it would come as a huge surprise to them, and she wanted it to be working perfectly when she showed it off. She knew that Yang would be impressed, she was always supportive of what Ruby wanted to do. It was more Weiss's and Blake's reactions that Ruby really wanted to see. Weiss would probably be the most surprised. She probably didn't think that Ruby could do something like this.

Ruby would have to show them all of the things that her addition could do, of course. Maybe there weren't many every-day applications, but of the scenarios where it did come in handy, it would make all the difference in the world. She would be able to fieldstrip any weapon, repair almost anything, so long as she had the tools for it.

Every time the door to the foundry opened, Ruby glanced over her shoulder, wanting to make sure that it wasn't her package arriving. After about a half an hour, she finally found that two soldiers were standing in the doorway, one of whom was holding a box in his arms. Ruby practically sprinted across the forge floor, something you were never supposed to do. She came to a sliding halt in front of them, looking up at them with wide eyes.

"Is that for me?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, and though she couldn't see through their visors, she could tell that their eyebrows were raised.

"Yeah. Why, do you-"

Before he could finish the question, Ruby snatched the box away from him, saying over her shoulder, "Thanks!

The soldiers looked at each other again, confused, before turning to leave. Once she got back to her station, Ruby tore into the box, ripping it open and peering inside. Neatly folded cables filled almost the entire box, and on top of the pile was a small handwritten note.

She picked it up, reading it to herself.

"I know how much of a struggle getting materials can be, but I'm afraid I can't help too much. Ironwood likes to know what his materials are being used for, and I doubt he would appreciate my charity here. All of this was used in other projects, but I can promise it's as good as new."

She looked over the thin wires, taking a deep breath. It was time to push. Focusing wasn't easy, given how tired she felt, but she had to do it. The music of the forge started to flow through her again, numbing her sense of time as minutes slipped into hours. Her world seemed to shrink as she worked on her new appendage.

Her fingers shook slightly as she made all the necessary modifications to the tools, hooking up every system, taking every care she could. The tools didn't need an incredibly complex neural network, and the tentacle was just within her range of ability to craft.

She made sure that the narrow body of the tendril stayed consistent in its diameter. The collection of interlocking metal rings that made up the outer shell were strong, though she knew that she wouldn't have to put too much work into durability. It would be housed within her arm, it would already have more than enough protection. The rings could slide across one another with barely any friction at all, while still giving an almost unlimited degree of motion. It was about the length of her forearm, ending in a small rotating segment that held most of the tools she had put on: welders and cutters, drill heads, and the tip of the tentacle ended in a series of small mechanical manipulators, the largest of which were only strong enough to lift a clip of ammunition.

Her consciousness returned to the world around her as she finished up. She let out a breath it felt like she'd been holding the entire time. It was done. She looked down at her creation critically, searching for any imperfection or flaw. It had to be perfect. She didn't find anything, and with a careful grip, she picked the augmentation up, and opened the access panel on her arm again.

Her heart beat faster and harder as she brought it closer to her arm. Hooking the addition up would be easy. She only had to brace for the new sensation. For the first time in a very long time, the heat of the forges grew to an uncomfortable level. Her feet shuffled restlessly. What was she waiting for?

She stuck the base of the enhancement into its socket, and immediately felt a yelp force its way from her throat. It didn't hurt, but she didn't know how to describe the feeling. At first, the instant it connected, it was like a bolt of lightning shot through her body. She felt her thoughts grind to a halt, and she realized that she had slumped over the table. It took a moment to pick herself back up, but when she did, her face was practically glowing with joy.

She couldn't particularly "feel" it yet, but it tingled and twinged like it had fallen asleep. With some sense of trepidation, she tried moving it.

The tentacle flopped in the general direction she tried to move it, slapping against the small pile of tools she'd used to put it together with a small thud, knocking a few of them to the ground. Ruby started to giggle. It would take some time to get used to, but once she did, it would be as natural as any other part of her body.

She closed her eyes, and tried to calm down. Now wasn't the time, and it wouldn't be the first time that she had made an embarrassing display in the forge. She definitely didn't want a repeat of that.

Ruby turned on her heel and started walking towards the door. If she were going to freak out, she would rather it be in the privacy of her own dorm. She tried to draw the tentacle into her arm, but it only arched upwards for a moment before flopping back down, grazing the floor. She stooped over and picked it up, wrapping it gently around the arm before tucking her arm into her cloak. She didn't want anyone to catch a glimpse of her creation and possibly ruin the surprise for the others.

On the way back, she continued to try moving different parts of the tentacle at a time. She didn't want to try any of the tools yet, given that a few of them could probably set her clothes on fire if she wasn't careful, but she'd get to those later. For now, it was trying to uncoil it that posed a challenge. She felt it tugging and pulling as she walked, but she simply wasn't used to it enough to actually control it. She could still only half-feel it. According to Tecwyn's notes, it would take a little while for her brain to fully realize that she had a new limb. The fact humans had no instinct to work something like this didn't help either, no doubt.

The door to the dorm building swung open, and she immediately started towards the stairs. Her body was practically on autopilot as she climbed up, eyes unfocused with a combination of excitement and exhaustion. She almost didn't notice Pyrrha slipping out of team JNPR's room.

She had a downtrodden look about her, and Ruby remembered what Jaune had said. She wished that Pyrrha would stop blaming herself.

"Oh, hi Pyrrha! What are you doing here? I thought you would be in class."

Pyrrha's head jerked in Ruby's direction, and she seemed alarmed. Their last encounter hadn't gone well, but Ruby wanted to make this one better. She stopped walking, and gave Pyrrha a warm smile.

Pyrrha nodded, rubbing the back of her head while shuffling uncomfortably and looking down.

"Yes, I wanted to go, but I wasn't feeling very well today. It's good to see you up, though. Yang said you were supposed to be resting, but you look like you haven't gotten an ounce of sleep. Are you feeling alright?"

Ruby nodded. "Couldn't be better! I mean, I didn't sleep last night, but I don't really mind."

There was a brief pause, during which Pyrrha shuffled around again, avoiding eye contact with her. Ruby stayed quiet for a moment, before speaking again.

"Pyrrha, I know you feel bad about what happened, but you can't keep blaming yourself. Please, promise me you won't. I don't blame you, no one else does. It was an accident, that's all."

Pyrrha looked back up at Ruby, and a small smile crossed her face. "Thank you, Ruby, but I don't know if I can. I mean, I ruined lives. There's no way around it. There's no way I can fix it."

She took a step closer to Pyrrha, hoping to make her feel better. She wanted to put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, but that hadn't turned out well the last time she'd tried. What she could do, though, was show Pyrrha what good had come out of the situation.

"Well, not everything is bad. Can you keep a secret? Not for long, just until I show Yang."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Ruby started to draw her arm out from her cloak. As she did so, she was careful to not get it caught on her cloak. Slowly, and with a little bit of dramatic flair, Ruby pulled her cloak back, revealing the new appendage.

Pyrrha only stared at it for a moment, before looking back up to Ruby with a confused expression.

"Ruby, what is that thing?"

Ruby's face fell slightly, and she tried again to uncoil it. This time it worked much better, sluggishly unraveling itself from around her arm. When it was free, she tried to raise it, but found that she still couldn't quite control it. It swung forward a few times she tried to bring it up, before she gave up and rested the end of it in her other hand.

"I made it!" The pride was clear in her voice. "It'll take a little time to get used to, but it'll be able to move like it's supposed to once I actually get used to it. What do you think?"

Pyrrha looked back down at it, and Ruby made small movements, raising the middle of the tentacle and wiggling a few of the tools. Pyrrha seemed shocked at first, but then leaned in for a closer look.

"Can you feel all of that?" The bewildered tone of her voice made Ruby smirk as she nodded. Pyrrha turned her attention back to Ruby's upgrade. With a slow motion, she reached towards it, but hesitated just before her fingers brushed the metal edge. With a small grunt of effort, Ruby flipped it from her hand to Pyrrha's.

The older girl flinched, but held it in her hand gently. She could feel the muscles moving and pulling inside. It seemed almost alive.

"You . . . made this?" She asked like she couldn't believe it, and Ruby nodded again.

Ruby moved her other hand to Pyrrha's shoulder, saying, "See? I made this into a good situation for me. I can do the same for everyone else who got hurt! I just need a little time, and I can fix everything!"

Pyrrha's eyes started to tear up, and before Ruby knew it, Pyrrha's arms were wrapped around her, squeezing the air from her lungs.

"Ruby, it would mean everything to me if you could do that. If there's anything I can do, please, just ask."

Ruby nodded. "Thanks, Pyrrha."

She gave a wide yawn, stretching her arms as Pyrrha let her go.

"I'd better get back to studying. Weiss left me a huge pile of stuff to do, and I spent all day making this." She indicated the tentacle, then started back towards her room. "I'll send you a message if there's anything you can do. See you later!"

Pyrrha said goodbye, and what felt like a moment later, Ruby collapsed into Yang's bed. The rest of her body was too tired to move, so her tendril snaked its way into her pocket, taking a hold of her scroll and dragging it out in front of her face as she started to read.

* * *

Author's Note:

So far I'm feeling really good about this fic. As with everything, I ask that you review. It really helps me out to know what you guys think.


	4. Chapter 4

When Ruby's eyes opened, she jerked into motion, throwing the covers she'd wrapped herself up in all over her bed. Her new metal tentacle retracted into her arm, fitting snugly under the shell. She flexed her fingers as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, making sure that she still had a full range of motion.

The door opened, and the voices of her teammates started to drift in from the hall. Ruby turned to see Yang striding in first, looking over her shoulder as she said something to Blake. ". . . bet you twenty lien she's-" Before she finished the sentence, she turned as she strode in, smiling when she saw her sister.

"Hey! We were just talking about you. Think Weiss is going to be happy with your study job?"

Ruby glanced at the stack of papers and books that Weiss had left for her before giving Yang a bashful smile and a shrug.

"Probably not. I mean, I tried, but it was so boring!" She said, falling back into her pillow.

Yang chuckled, ruffling Ruby's hair and bending over to look at her arm. "And what about this thing, huh? How'd those studies go?"

Ruby held the arm up, fanning the fingers out before closing it in a tight fist. Inside of its shell, she wriggled the tentacle around slightly, testing how well she could control it. It was far more responsive than it had been earlier that day. In fact, she was fairly certain that she could manage holding it up on its own.

"A lot better."

The others followed Yang in, Blake before Weiss. Blake climbed straight into her bed, sitting on the edge with her legs dangling over the side, while Weiss stood a few feet behind Yang. Ruby saw her eyes roll when she noticed that the papers had barely been touched.

"Honestly Ruby, did you even look at the notes I took?"

Ruby averted her eyes, shrugging mutely as she did so. Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily before clearing her throat and saying, "Alright, that's fine. We can just start there, and move on." She grabbed the assortment of materials from Ruby's side before sitting down on her own bed, spreading the notes out in a wide arc, and motioning for Ruby to sit next to her. With a groan, Ruby slid down from her bunk. When she hit the ground, Weiss looked back at her.

"I don't know what else you could have done with yourself all day. Did you just lounge around and slee-" Her voice trailed off as she saw the smile slowly spreading across Ruby's face. The two stared at each other for a moment, silent, before Weiss asked, "What's that look for?"

"Well, I was in the cafeteria earlier-"

Weiss cut her off, saying, "For the whole afternoon? I know you love wasting time, but can you stop stalling, so we can get back to work? You really need to get caught up."

"I was only there for ten minutes!" Ruby replied indignantly. "Anyway, I saw a news report about what happened at the arena. I'm not the only one who got hurt. There were lots of other people, and I don't think it's fair that I get special treatment. I just thought, you know, maybe I could do something about it, like make everyone something like this." She held up the arm, watching Weiss's face carefully.

"Ruby, I know you're good with weapons, and have an almost pathological urge to help people, but something like that would cost a small fortune! Not to mention how long it would take! You still have responsibilities yourself, like your _school work_." She punctuated the end of her sentence by holding up an anatomy paper, already dotted with red circles and highlightings.

"Well, I didn't plan to do it all at once. It'd take time, but I think it'd be a good thing to do." Ruby commented, trying to stay positive.

"Okay, but what about cost? The school only lets you take so much material a month before you have to pay, and you need that for your own personal use."

"Well. . . " Ruby hesitated, scratching the back of her head. "That's why I'm asking you."

She felt the blood rush into her cheeks as she realized what she'd said. Her hands went up defensively, but she couldn't say anything before Weiss started digging into her.

"So you think just because I come from a rich family I'm just going to give you any money you need?" Her eyes flared with anger, taking Ruby aback.

"Chill out, Weiss." Yang called from the desk by the door, "You don't need to get like that, she was just asking if you could help her."

Ruby shot Yang a quick smile before Weiss argued back. "Just because I get an allowance doesn't mean I just have open access to the Schnee corporate funds! Not to mention my card still hasn't been working since the tournament-"

She stopped herself, her gaze shifting out of focus. The two sisters watched as she stood up, and started walking in a small circle in the middle of the room. Her hand was on her chin signaling she was deep in thought. Ruby shot Yang another look, raising an eyebrow. Yang shrugged before looking back at Weiss.

It seemed like several minutes before she stopped to gaze out the window. "That could work," she muttered to herself. Turning back to Ruby with a sly smile she nodded, a plot forming in her mind.

"Can you actually do this? Build another one, I mean. If you want help, you'll have to come up with some sort of proof you can do this."

Ruby smiled impishly, drawing the mechanical arm up, turning her palm to the ceiling. "Alright, watch this!" The others gave her questioning looks, but she hardly noticed as she felt the tentacle start to wriggle. It pushed against the port doors, but couldn't quite make any headway.

Giving up on getting it from the inside, she rolled up her sleeve and thumbed the release mechanism. Her teammates exchanged another round of puzzled glances, then looked back as Ruby managed to get the port open. Her tongue poked from between her teeth as she put every ounce of focus she could into controlling the tentacle.

The long, thin tendril slithered its way out, a tight bundle of tools in place of a head, and rings of metal in place of scales. Her eyes followed it as she extended it to the length of her forearm. With a small flick, she tried activating the tools. The manipulators started opening and closing, drills started spinning, and welders sparked into life. Unfortunately, the excitement of the situation had gone to her head, and she'd forgotten one very important quality of a welder. The bright blue light poured from the tip of the tool, partially blinding her. With a yelp, she brought her other arm up to block the glow.

As quickly as she could, she shut the tools down. A thick blue afterimage was burned into her eyes. She tried for several moments to blink it away, then, as her vision started to return, forced a smile.

"Tada?"

Her teammates were still rubbing their eyes and trying to keep from stumbling over. Weiss was the first to speak, yelling, "Ruby, what the-" she bumped into Yang. Her hands came away from her face, and she blinked several times before turning back to Ruby, sighing and making an effort to calm down.

"Sorry." Ruby's voice squeaked as she tried to apologize, reaching out to Weiss to try and help. However much vision she had lost, she was still able to see enough to bat Ruby's hand away.

"Dolt!"

As Yang pulled her hands away from her eyes, she blinked a few times, still squinting slightly. For a moment, she only peered around. Then, as seconds passed, she started to smile to herself. Ruby started to ask if she was alright, but it seemed like she couldn't be better. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

Weiss interrupted them, asking, "Ruby, what is that thing?"

She took a step closer, leaning in to examine its tip. Ruby drew the tentacle back several inches, worried that Weiss was getting too close.

"I made it. I don't really know what you'd call it, but I thought it would help me build stuff in the future." She let it slump over into her right hand, gesturing with her left. "See, I've got a bunch of stuff that you would normally only be able to find in a workshop, so when we're out in the field, if we need to repair something, I can do it really fast!"

Weiss continued to stare wordlessly, while Yang stepped closer and Blake climbed down from her bed. "You really made that thing, Ruby?" Yang's voice was a mixture of one part uncertainty and one part pride. Her sister nodded, the smile on her face growing even wider. Yang laughed again, and pulled her sister in for a hug. Ruby put her arms around Yang's waist, fingers digging into her jacket. It took a moment to realize, but the tentacle had also wrapped itself around her sister. It wrapped almost all the way around Yang, and the manipulators at the end grabbed Yang's shirt as well.

Yang pat her head gently before she let go. Ruby stepped back, looking at the tentacle. It did look a little strange, now that she thought about it.

Weiss shook her head, refocusing herself before saying, "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

Ruby nodded quickly, and Weiss turned to look out the window. "Maybe I could work something out with my father." She turned on her heel, looking back at Ruby. "But I'm not sure I can convince him it's a good idea. To him, this will be an investment opportunity, and just like any investment, you'll have to show him that it's worth it. I can show you a few things about marketing, but you'll have to develop some kind of prototype first. Do you think you could make something a little more. . . " she thought for a moment, looking at the tentacle again ". . . normal? An arm or a leg, maybe? Something that a normal person would need."

"Of course! Yeah, I'd love to!" Ruby was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

Weiss eyed her with a strange look before continuing. "Good. You do that, and I'll arrange a meeting with my father. Now, if he says yes, he'll want this to be seen as a charity. That being said, he will also want to be sure his name is tightly associated with it. You'll probably have to do a few interviews, maybe read a few ads, but nothing too bad. If you feel like you can't make it, I'll help coach you."

Ruby lurched forward, throwing her arms around Weiss and squeezing as hard as she could. Her friend gasped as the air was forced from her lungs.

"Thank you!"

Weiss tried to wriggle free from Ruby's grasp, doing her best to push her away while gasping out, "Yang, help me!"

Yang laughed, shaking her head. "I don't know, she gets pretty feisty when she's like this. Did you see some of the saws on that thing? I like my face where it is, thanks."

Weiss stretched a hand out towards her, her face turning a light red.

"Yang!"

When Weiss managed to disentangle herself from Ruby, she insisted that they still go over the notes she'd taken. In spite of every argument she could muster, in the end, Ruby had no choice but to agree. She sat next to Weiss on her bed, writing down her own notes as Weiss explained things, but her mind was elsewhere.

In the margins of her paper, she started to sketch rough designs for her next work. Would it be an arm or a leg? She already had an arm, so it would probably be best to start with that. She could work off its design, and find way to cut down on materials required. It wouldn't have to be as durable or advanced as her own, but she couldn't make them too weak.

After an hour that seemed like it would never end, Weiss closed her notebook, saying, "Well, I've done everything I can do. You're still going to have to read the chapter on your own."

Ruby nodded absentmindedly. She'd never realized how hard fingers were to draw. She managed to get them close enough, but would they really end up shaped like that? She was shooting for efficiency, not perfectly replicating a human hand.

She looked up when she heard Weiss turn away, muttering irritated to herself. Ruby looked to Yang, who shrugged.

Ruby looked back down at her sketch, then jerked to her feet, sending the notebook flying. "Oh crap!"

The others gave her looks of shock and concern, and she nearly yelled, practically pulling her hair out, "I forgot the stuff Tecwyn gave me!"

Yang smirked, but Weiss's jaw almost hit the floor. "You what? He gave you materials? Ruby, that wasn't Atlas Military tech, was it? Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get into just for having something like that? If someone finds it-"

Ruby was already out the door, a flurry of rose petals in her wake. The corridors were empty for the most part, which was good, because she would have barreled through anyone who got in her way without much of a second thought. She had to get that box back.

The dormitory door burst open, and she zipped out, wasting no time in noting the setting sun. If she hurried, she might still be able to catch the Forgemaster. She berated herself as she ran. How could she have been so stupid? She had always cleaned her station in the past.

The forge came into view, and she put a final burst of speed into the sprint, feeling her lungs start to ache. As she drew closer to the door, she dug her heels into the ground, and slid to a halt only a foot away from the door. She took a deep breath, hoping the the doors hadn't been locked yet, and pushed.

They opened, and she caught a glimpse of the Forgemaster putting out one of the larger forges. She looked around the massive room, hoping to see the box she'd received hours before. She tracked down the station she had worked at, but found that it was spotless, nowhere near the state of disarray she had left it in. Tools had been laid out carefully and neatly, a perfect example of an ordered workstation.

Ruby's jaw clenched and she peered around the rest of the room. She couldn't imagine what she would do if someone had stolen it. Losing military technology that may or may not have been secret would definitely be enough to get a student expelled. Her heart felt like it was trying to jump out her throat when she called out, "Hey, I need some help over here!"

The Forgemaster looked over his shoulder, and when he saw Ruby, called back, "Ah, good, you're here. I was going to swing by after I was done, but I guess I don't have to. You left some stuff here. It's over in my office."

He indicated one of the doors as the far end of the room with a nod, and Ruby rushed towards it. She found that it was unlocked, and pulled the door open. A large desk sat in the corner of a cramped room, with barely enough room to maneuver around it. Several filing cabinets were crammed into another corner, with papers and folders almost spilling out onto the floor. On the desk, there were a few sizable stacks of paper, and on the edge, the box that Ruby had received earlier.

On it, there was a small note that read "Ruby" on it. She plucked it off and set it down on the desk as she picked her box up, turning back towards the door. She waved as she strode back towards the exit, shouting, "Thanks!"

The walk back to her dorm was quiet enough, she saw only a few other students on the way. A few gave her odd looks, and Ruby guessed that they had seen her sprinting to the forge. She bowed her head, continuing on her way and hoping they would stop staring.

Back at the dorm, she waved her scroll in front of the door, opening the lock and walking back in. She almost dropped the box when she realized that Weiss was standing only a foot away, directly in front of her, arms crossed and an expectant look on her face. Ruby fumbled with the box for a moment, trying not to let it drop.

"Oh, Weiss! Hi! What are you. . ." her voice trailed off, and she tilted her head slightly, asking, "Were you standing there the whole time I was gone?"

Yang snorted with laughter from her bunk, prompting Weiss's jaw to clench, and a slight tinge of red to come to her cheeks. "That's not the point. What you did was irresponsible!" Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but Weiss held up a hand. "I know you're excited, but you can't let this stuff get to your head. You're still a Huntress-in-training, you should act like it."

Ruby looked down at the floor, nodding. It had been stupid, she knew, but how could she not get caught up in the moment? She plodded over to her bed, placing the box on the sheets before reaching up to pull herself onto the mattress. Before she could do so, Weiss continued to speak.

"Also, I had a chat with my father's secretary. She said the soonest opening he has in his schedule is in a week, almost right after class. Do you think you could have a prototype ready by then?"

Ruby nodded excitedly. "Of course! I mean, probably. How impressive does this thing need to be, again?"

Weiss sighed, saying, "Just do the best you can. If you can show that it works, which I assume you could use your tentacle thing to do, then you should have all the backing you need."

Her mind turned back to the designs she'd started, they weren't anything particularly amazing, but they would show that she could make a human arm. She faced back to her bed, climbing up and setting the box on her lap. There was more than enough for an arm there, if she was careful about how she used it.

She wrapped her arms around the box. How could she have lost it? She couldn't even imagine how terribly the meeting with Weiss's father would go if she showed up with an incomplete model. Her arms tightened around the box. It wouldn't happen again. She wouldn't make any more stupid mistakes like that.

"You're going to class tomorrow, right Ruby?"

Yang spoke from her sprawled out position on her bed, looking up at Ruby with half-open eyes.

Ruby thought for a moment. She did want to stay and work on the prototype, of course, but Weiss had been right when she'd said Ruby was also a huntress in training. She had duties, obligations, not all of her time could be free. She would still have plenty of time to work on it, she was sure. At least, if she focused hard.

With a slight hesitation, she nodded.

Yang smiled back, saying, "Good, we're doing more sparring in Goodwitch's class. I've been kind of curious about how you'll do with that new arm."

She looked down at her arm, and felt the tentacle inside move around. She had been curious about that herself. It felt better than her real arm ever had, but would it pass a trial by fire? Tecwyn had said that it was made with combat in mind, but she didn't know exactly what to expect.

"So am I. Do you think I can use this in a fight?"

After a little effort and concentration she managed to get the tentacle to open the port on its own, before falling limp as she relaxed her body. Giving herself a breath she returned her focus to her tentacle, and manipulated it to coil around her arm, letting a few of the tools started to move lazily around. Yang propped herself up on her elbow, smiling thoughtfully.

"Maybe. I think it depends who you're fighting." She shrugged. "I'm sure you'll find a way to do it."

Ruby rolled over, looking at the body of the attachment. She hadn't thought about it, but a limb like this could add a new dimension to her combat. She yawned, stretching across her bed. Maybe she had a few other needs to tend to first. Her body felt heavy as she dragged her way off of the bed towards the bathroom.

Bedtime preparations went quickly. While showering, she checked to see in any water seeped into the arm's internal workings while the panel was closed. None did, and she didn't think that it would impact its functioning even it it could.

When she brushed her teeth, she tried holding the brush with her tentacle. The manipulators on the end could hold it with no problem. The grip wasn't her main problem, though, it was getting it to move back and forth while keeping contact with her teeth. Each stroke of the brush became easier, her degree of control only improved. At the same time, though, she could feel the twinge of a headache starting to set in. The tools on her new appendage made her somewhat nervous being so close to her face, and she made a special note to move the plasma torch so it wasn't pointed directly at her eye. They were a part of her, though, and the nervousness quickly faded. The dexterity required to brush without jamming the toothbrush into her gums was easy to muster with a little bit of concentration, despite the budding headache. Looking into the mirror when it was finally done, she found herself smiling giddily into the mirror as she thought about all the other uses it could have.

After a moment, she shook herself back to reality. She wasn't going to sleep at all if she kept getting herself worked up.

Her pajamas on, she made her way back to her bed. The others bade her goodnight, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

* * *

It felt like only a moment later that her alarm was buzzing next to her ear. The sounds of the others moving around the room made her open her eyes just a crack, and she saw that they were already in the process of getting ready for the day. Ruby rolled over, closing her eyes again, but groaned as she felt a hand shaking her shoulder and heard Yang saying, "Come on Ruby, time to get up!"

She tried to shrug the hand off, but her sister only shook harder.

"Come on. Let's see that arm in action!"

It took Ruby a moment to process what Yang had said, but when she did, her eyes shot open. Yang was right, she would get the chance to try out her new arm in combat.

She bolted up, flailing in an attempt to get the covers off, asking, "What time is it? Am I late?"

Yang shook her head as she turned away, walking back to her bed and taking a seat. "No, not quite yet. You should probably hurry up, though. Goodwitch was talking about how well she expected everyone to do in these fights, and I don't think being late is going to do you any favors with her grading."

She was done getting dressed in a flash, and stuffed her supplies in her backpack. It was probably the fastest she had ever gotten herself ready for the day. When she finished, she bounced eagerly on the balls of her feet as she stood by the door.

The others were slow compared to her as they shuffled towards the door, and she couldn't help but be slightly annoyed at their sluggishness. When they were finally out the door, Ruby made to follow, but felt something hold her back. She stopped, her foot hovering over the threshold, and turned. Had she forgotten something? It certainly felt like it. She was about to turn back and go through the room again, when, from ahead, Yang called, "Ruby, come on!"

With a sigh, Ruby jogged after her comrades, closing the door behind her. Whatever it was, it would have to wait. All she could do was hope that it wasn't anything too important and try to focus on her classes. Her mind shifted to what Professor Goodwitch's class would be like, and she found herself settling into the familiar questions she found herself asking before every class of hers. Who was it she would find herself up against? Duels were always an interesting experience. She knew the fighting styles of most of her classmates, but they also knew hers.

It would come down to skill, she was sure. More often than not, someone had a trick up their sleeve, or some natural advantage that set them apart from the others. Pyrrha's semblance was an especially good example of this. She'd often win whole bouts without taking a single blow. Ruby wasn't nearly that good, but she did her best. She always made sure that she was a difficult target to hit, at the very least, though against a few people, that normally restricted her to shooting from long range.

The group had a hurried breakfast before running off to Professor Goodwitch's room. Just as they arrived, the bells of the schools rang out across the grounds, and they quickly made their way to their seats. The amphitheater was cold, like it always seemed to be, and the professor stood in the center of it, eyeing the students as they all turned their attention to her. Ruby ducked down behind the other students as she and the others tried to get to their seats without the teacher noticing. No more than a second after she crouched, however, the sharp voice rang out, seeming to echo off of the round ceiling.

"Ah, Miss Rose, I see you're back. Do you intend to be participating today? If you think you need more time before you resume your regular activities, I would be happy to give you that time."

She straightened back up, and shook her head quickly.

"No, I think I'm ready today."

Professor Goodwitch nodded, and pushed her glasses up as she glanced down at her scroll. "Good, because I believe you are next in the que. How do you feel about a bout with mister Winchester?"

Ruby glanced over at the boy. He was splayed across his seat, leaning back to talk to one of his friends. He didn't even seem aware that his name had been mentioned. Cardin had nearly a foot on Ruby, height-wise, his broad muscular shoulders easily putting him two or three weight classes above her, maybe even more. His movements were slow and clunky, fighting him was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, if he ever got a hit on you, you were done for, but his attacks were telegraphed to a point that even someone like Jaune could see them coming. She looked down at her new arm, wondering how it compared to Cardin's meat-arms.

She looked back to the teacher and nodded. "Sure, I'm all for it!"

Goodwitch nodded again, then looked to Cardin, clearing her throat. "Mister Winchester."

Cardin jerked to face her, cutting of in the middle of a sentence with one of his friends. "What's that? What's going on?"

"Miss Rose will be your sparring partner for today. Please collect your gear as quickly as you can." Glynda stated, irritated as she moved to the edge of the arena.

Ruby couldn't help but scowl at the boy as he picked himself up and started towards the armory. Ruby followed, remembering the last time they'd fought. His strength was in sheer force, and not much else. She could tell that he was still riding high from his last victory over her. She rolled her eyes as she remembered the duel. One lucky shot; a single, incredibly train-like hit, had been enough to bring her aura into critical condition. He was highly ranked in the class, of course. Not many students could stand up to his unusually direct style.

That one mistake had opened her up to weeks of Weiss's nagging, of course. Her form was sloppy, she wasn't paying enough attention, Weiss always found something to point out. She wasn't wrong, of course, but she could at least be a little less mean about it.

Maybe she could make her want to criticize Cardin like that. If the idiot thought he could catch her off guard again, he was wrong. A smirk spread across her face as she tailed behind him on the way to the locker room through the door. She racked her mind, thinking of the ways she could beat him. Should it be quick and embarrassing? Or slow, so she could make him feel as stupid as she had? It was a tough decision.

After collecting Crescent Rose from her locker she stood by the entrance, waiting for her opponent. He already had his armor on, and his flanged mace was leaning on the wall next to him. He had a comb in his hand, carefully styling his hair. Ruby rolled her eyes. Normally people did their hair after a battle, not before. Her mind wandered to the how he had gotten into Beacon in the first place. The train of thought stopped there, when Ruby pushed it out of her mind. Just because he was a jerk didn't mean he was any less deserving of being there then she or Yang were. He took the tests, just like everyone else.

That's what she told herself, at least. If he got expelled, she certainly wasn't going to lose any sleep over it. Her mind lingered on the thought of Cardin being expelled from Beacon, before drifting to how he had been treating Velvet and Jaune at the start of the year. He had gotten better, but that didn't make him any more likable.

"Alright pipsqueak, let's get this over with. There was a girl checking me out in the stands, and I don't want to keep her waiting." A cocky smile was smeared across his face as he stepped past her into the arena. Ruby shook her head, taking a few deep breaths before hefting Crescent Rose up and following behind him.

Everything surrounding the arena was plunged into darkness as the lights dimmed, and miss Goodwitch stepped off to the side.

"Take your positions, please."

Cardin strolled forwards nonchalantly, squinting up into the stands as he went. A few silhouettes waved, and he smiled back before turning to face Ruby. He brought his mace to his shoulder and gave her a sarcastic grin.

Crescent Rose unfurled in Ruby's hands, cold metal finding a comfortable resting spot in her fingers. She was taken off guard for a moment by how the weapon felt. Her left hand, farther from the blade, normally bore most of the weight of the scythe's head. Its weight wasn't gone, but now it felt like it was so much more manageable.

She gave the scythe a few experimental movements, and smiled to herself as she noticed how easily she could control it. Her moment of satisfaction was cut short by the large overhead screen popping into life, aura monitors displayed for the whole class to see.

Ruby turned her focus to her opponent, who was now staring back at her, roughly twenty paces away. Both made themselves ready, Ruby sliding her feet apart and priming Crescent Rose, while Cardin adjusted the position of his mace on his shoulder. They waited for the Professor's word to start the match. As soon as it started, Ruby planned to send a dust-filled bullet right between his eyes. Both bodies coiled like springs, waiting for the single signal that would set them against each other.

Professor Goodwitch's stern voice broke through the silence like a cymbal.

"Begin!"

Cardin launched forward, and Ruby knelt down, bringing Crescent Rose to bear. She didn't take more than an instant to aim, and she felt Crescent Rose kick against her shoulder as it spat a bullet towards Cardin's face. He reacted just quickly enough to bring the hilt of his weapon between his face and the projectile. Ruby saw his eyes widen in surprise, before a cocky grin slid across his face, and he continued forward.

She shifted her aim slightly, pivoting her upper body as carefully as she could, before firing again. Cardin brought his mace to block his head, but he hadn't noticed the change she had made. The bullet struck him in the right shoulder, his weapon arm. The shot made contact, but glanced off the curvature of his pauldrons. His arm dropped back a bit, but didn't show any sign of actually weakening.

The distance between them was closing rapidly, and Ruby felt the urge to widen it. She stayed right where she was, though. One more shot, at least.

With another sharp thud, she fired again. The bullet whizzed through the air, striking Cardin in the abdomen. No plate armor guarded that spot, but he only flinched in response. Ruby's eyes flicked up towards the screen as she got back to her feet. She'd barely knocked anything off of his aura, and not slowed him in the least. Her eyes went wide as Cardin brought his mace over his head, coming within striking distance. Ruby pushed off the ground as hard as she could, throwing herself backwards as the mace came down towards her. The floor where she had been standing shattered under the force of the blow.

As Ruby landed, she saw an opportunity. Cardin's arm was stretched out, keeping a hold on his mace. Even if he tried not to show it, Ruby could see him struggling to lift it again. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Her Semblance flashed into life for a moment as she dashed forward, closing the gap between them almost instantly. Rose petals hung in the air behind her as she made an upward diagonal swipe with her scythe. The blade slammed into his armpit, knocking him off balance, but his grip on the mace remained firm.

Cardin swung the mace in a wide, uncontrolled sweep across his side. Ruby saw it coming, leaping back again, but she wasn't fast enough. One of the flanged tips caught her in the foot, and when she came to the ground, she stumbled back. Cardin saw his advantage, and took the opportunity to right himself before charging her again.

Thinking as quickly as she could, Ruby stuck one foot out behind her, braced, and fired from the hip in Cardin's general direction. The shot went wide, hitting one of the walls in the darkness past the edges of the stage. It had the right effect, though, and Ruby brought Crescent Rose up to meet the incoming blow. Metal met metal as Cardin delivered another crushing blow from above.

Ruby's eyes shut tightly as she expected her arms to crumple, and the rest of her body to be smashed against the cold floor. She could feel the weight of the mace pressing down, the force that Cardin used to force it down was nearly unbearable.

Nearly, but not quite.

Her eyes opened slightly, just enough to confirm her suspicions. They were proved correct; she was still standing. She looked back to the mace, and found Cardin glaring at her, teeth barred, both hands on the handle of his weapon, pushing with more and more fury.

It was more than she could take. Her legs buckled, and she fell to one knee. Still, she kept her arms raised, Crescent Rose her only line of defense.

Her arms being forced to bend further and further, she made a quick examination of her options. There was no way to break the struggle and escape the blow. At least, not directly. She noted that the mace was pushing against the middle of her scythe's handle, close to the ammunition clip. The clip stuck out, towards Cardin. She couldn't see any other option.

She pulled the trigger, and threw her whole body along with the force of the recoil. The clip caught against one of the mace's tips, pulling the heavier weapon to the side. Ruby twisted her entire upper body as she forced the mace to the ground, twisting in Cardin's hand as it went. She pulled Crescent Rose off the mace, and turned her focus back to Cardin.

It seemed that her escape had taken him by surprise. He was hesitating, but only for a moment. She was too close to use her scythe effectively, and backing up would give him a chance to recover. It was more aggressive than she would normally conduct herself, but she didn't have much choice.

She dropped her shoulder, and tried to slam herself into her opponent. It was too close to use her semblance again, and Cardin was a much greater physical presence. She hit his breastplate and bounced off, swallowing a hard lump in her throat as Cardin straightened up, completely unaffected by her attempt to knock him over.

His mace came swinging around again, and Ruby could see a certain glint in his eyes. It was the same glint he'd had the last time they'd fought, and he had knocked her out of the fight with one blow. A slight glow started to emanate from the blunt instrument, and Ruby could feel the air around it starting to pulse with an excited energy. She tried backing up, but she couldn't get more than a single step before an impact became unavoidable. She did the only thing she could: listen to the natural instincts of her body.

The strike was a horizontal swing, coming towards her left side. Her left arm came up, letting go of Crescent Rose and bracing as best she could.

It was hardly any protection, but it was all she could do. The strike impacted, and she was sent flying. Crescent Rose slipped out of her hand, clattering to the ground as she sailed towards the walls of the arena. Her shoulder caught the smooth floor, and she started to tumble wildly, feeling every impact keenly.

Still, she didn't feel as depleted as she thought she would. She put an arm out and desperately clawed at the ground, trying to stop her crash. Ruby felt her fingers dig into the floor, and she slid to a halt.

Cardin stared at her, stunned. It was probably the first time someone had endured more than one of whatever he just did. Ruby glanced up at the screen above them. About half her aura was gone, but considering the circumstances, she felt great. She looked down at her left arm, flexing to see if it had taken any damage. To the best of her ability, she couldn't feel anything wrong with it.

A small smile spread across her face, and she looked back at Cardin. Crescent Rose was now by his feet, but she wasn't sure if she needed it. Metal muscles moved at her command, balling her fingers into a tight fist. Maybe she didn't need Crescent Rose to win. She was no expert in hand-to-hand combat, but maybe it would take Cardin enough by surprise that she could at least get her scythe back.

Cardin was starting to come towards her again, advancing with an air of caution. Ruby's eyes darted across his body, looking for any opening in his guard. She knew that he would be able to stop her if she came from the front, but he didn't guard his back. Getting behind him would be difficult, but if she used her Semblance again, she would have a much better chance.

She waited. Cardin seemed to think he had her cornered, and really, he wasn't too far off. He was quick to get close enough that he could take a swing at her if she tried getting past.

Ruby could feel her heart pounding in her chest. A few beads of sweat trickled down the side of her forehead. She'd taken one of his heavier blows, but she wasn't sure she could take another. Trying to take Cardin down with her bare hands likely wasn't the smartest of plans, anyways. She just needed to get Crescent Rose back.

Her legs bent as she readied herself to try it. Cardin stepped closer, bringing his mace back for a swing, and Ruby took her shot. She bolted forwards just as he started to bring his mace forwards. Rose petals filled the air behind her as she ducked down and felt the mace pass over her head. She tried not to think about the narrow margin she'd escaped the blow by, and shot her arm out at his back foot.

Her fingers wrapped around his ankle, and she pulled as hard as she could without breaking pace. His stance gave way, but only enough that she could feel his foot start to slide before she was too far away and it jolted out of her hand.

She turned her head forward again, eyes locking almost instantly on Crescent Rose. She made a beeline for the weapon, snatching it up as she passed, and making a wide turn to run by Cardin again. It transformed into its war-scythe form, the blade folding back to form a straighter, more elegant head.

As she brought herself around, she spied Cardin. His legs were spread apart, and his mace was on the ground next to him. Ruby had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing as she realized that he was doing the splits.

Building up all the force she could, she charged him, putting all her weight into one swing. She could feel metal muscle pulling taut, and brought Crescent Rose into his side.

Cardin was thrown across the arena, slamming into the opposite wall where his eyes fluttered for a moment before he went limp. Ruby looked up at the board, and smiled when she saw that his bar had been almost completely depleted.

Professor Goodwithch's voice came from somewhere off to her side, but Ruby could hardly hear it over the rush of her own blood pounding through her veins.

"-Bout! Well fought, Miss Rose. I'm very impressed. You and mister Winchester may go pack your things. Now, who can tell me. . ."

Ruby turned away, smiling. That was probably the nicest thing the Professor had ever said to her. Once back in the locker room, Ruby found herself staring at a mirror.

The new arm was more useful in a fight than she'd thought it would be. She couldn't help but wonder how she would have done with even just a little bit more modification. Now that she had some experience, new possibilities bloomed in her mind. New attachments, new techniques, new everything.

She held up her other arm. It ached from the strain she'd put it under during the fight. Durability-wise, the cybernetic arm definitely had the advantage.

She looked back up at the mirror. She was still smiling, but something still didn't feel right. She was missing something. She felt hollow.

She turned, thinking. Maybe she would figure it out later. For now, she wanted to hear what Glynda had said.

* * *

Author's Note:

As always, reviews and feedback are appreciated.

OH, and cover art! Thanks Morgan!


	5. Chapter 5

Announcement post:

While I don't have any intention of continuing Reforge, I have started to rewrite it. You can find the first chapter of this rewrite on my page under the title of "Reassembled" where Ruby can continue her adventure of self discovery and wonder in a story easier for me to work with.


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